KEEP LEARNING 102-005 Catherine Huang

Dutch Politicians Demand Prisoners Pony Up for Prison

Dutch(荷蘭的 ) politicians(政治家 ) demand要求 ) prisoners(囚犯 ) pony Up(付清 )

Compared to(比較 ) other continents(洲 ), Europe has a reputation(名聲 ) for being pretty soft on crime.

Yet, legislators(議員 ) in the Netherlands(荷蘭 ) are aiming to(目標 ) change that with some controversial(爭議的 ) new laws, but these laws aren’t targeting(目標 ) increased sentences(刑責 ). Instead, they are looking to punish prisoners financially(財政上地 ).

One bill(法案 ) purposes(目標 ) to charge(收費 ) prisoners US$22 per day for jail accommodation(住宿 ), while another would require(要求 ) prisoners to pay for some of the costs of the investigation(調查 ) that was required to convict(判…有罪 ) them.

If both bills are approved(通過 ), they would raise(提升 ) approximately(大約 ) US$88 million for the financially challenged(財政困難的 ) prison system in the Netherlands.

The additional(額外的 ) funds(基金 ) would be helpful, as budget cuts(預算削減 ) will force(迫使 ) the nation to close at least(至少 ) 19 prisons in the near future. This will cause 2,000 people to lose their jobs.

However, it’s not certain these bills will be approved, as there is strong opposition(反對 ) to them.

Some claim(宣稱 ) the bills are against(反對 ) European human rights laws, which clearly state(陳述 ) that governments are responsible for(為…負責 ) prisoners accumulate(累積 ) debt when they have no income(收入 ) and have already lost everything is too cruel(殘酷 ).

____ 1. What is this article mainly about? (A) Some ways countries can have fewer criminals. (B) An expensive prison in a European nation. (C) The rising crime rate in the Netherlands. (D) Forcing prisoners to pay for the cost of jail.

____ 2. What will happen if the bill gets passed? (A) Prisons will save some money. (B) Prisoners will have better living conditions. (C) Many workers at prisons will lose their jobs. (D) The government will have to make budget cuts.

____ 3. Why are some people against the bill? (A) They think the quality of prisons isn’t good enough. (B) They believe that charging prisoners is illegal. (C) They don’t feel that prisoners should be punished for crimes. (D) They feel it will leave prisoners with too much income when they get out.

4U 2014,04