Dienst Justitiële Inrichtingen (NL)

The “Dienst Justitiële Inrichtingen (DJI)” is an agency of the Ministry of Justice and Security in the Netherlands. On behalf of this ministry this agency takes care of a righteous execution of sentences. DJI works strongly together with partners in the field of Justice. Every year, approximately 37,500 new detainees are admitted. DJI has different types of institutions for various categories of inmates and patients. There are remand centres and prisons for adults. Furthermore, there are correctional institutions for juvenile offenders and forensic psychiatric centres for convicted adults who require psychiatric care. 

DJI’s mission statement reads as follows: ‘The Judicial Institutions Department contributes to the safety of society by enforcing custodial sentences and custodial orders and by giving those entrusted to our care the opportunity to build a socially acceptable existence.

The ‘Work through Sport’ programme is one of the programmes that prepare prisoners for a fresh start in society.

This sportprogramme has been running for the last seven years in collaboration with Dutch football clubs and use the power of sport for a succesfull re-integration to use the network of a club for paid jobs for inmates..

Additionally, a flagship event for the Dutch Justice Department is the Football Works Festival, that has in the past united a number of the Consortium Members and set the basis for the creation of this Project.