Norwegian prisoners to be incarcerated in the Netherlands

(ANSA) - Rome, September 9 - The Norwegian government is to transfer 300 detainees to prisons in Holland pending work to renovate or expand domestic jails, it emerged on Tuesday.
    The move comes in response to an "urgent" situation of overcrowding or poor conditions in Norwegian prisons.
    "We inherited the problems of prison renovation and failed expansion from the previous government because the reception capacity has fallen over time," Justice Minister Anders Anundsen said. Under the agreement between Oslo and Amsterdam the Norwegian prisoners transferred to Dutch jails will serve their sentence in accordance with Norwegian detention standards, which are considered more permissive. Norwegian media report that some 1,300 convicts are awaiting a definitive place in prison, while the work to expand current capacity will cost 700 million euros.