The Netherlands: A No-Nonsense Approach to Civil Procedure Reform
In the Netherlands, significant changes to the procedural regulations and other policy reforms have thoroughly reshaped the legal system over the past decades. Much more attention than before is directed to gathering data and to conducting empirical research in order to assess some of these changes. The role of the judge regarding case management seems to be of greater significance today than in the early 1990s. Judges have the authority to control the progress of lawsuits. It is now common for judges to schedule oral hearings at an early point in time at which the judge will order the parties themselves to appear in court in order to discuss the case. In the Dutch legal system, some preliminary steps have also been taken to promote mediation.
Het recht in betere tijden
In deze studie staat de snelheid van civiele procedures centraal. De aandacht is daarbij niet primair gericht op de vele factoren die op de duur van procedures van invloed kunnen worden geacht, maar op interventies die de duur van procedures werkelijk doen verkorten. Het onderzoek richt zich op gewone dagvaardingsprocedures, die door de civiele sectoren van de rechtbanken worden behandeld. Dit zijn zaken met relatief hoge financiele belangen. Ze behoren tot de meest tijdrovende procedures in de civiele rechtspraak in eerste aanleg.
Women's health in prison: urgent need for improvement in gender equity and social justice.
The needs of women held in detention have received little attention and con-tinue to be neglected by health systems and prison authorities. One reason for this, too readily accepted until now, is that women prisoners are a clear minor-ity group within prisons all over the world. It is only recently that attention has been drawn to the fact that a minor-ity status does not justify the widespread ignorance of women’s basic rights and the considerable gender insensitivity still dominating criminal justice systems.In Europe alone, there are about 100 000 women and girls in prison.