The number of incidents involving people with confused behaviour in the Netherlands was reported to be rising. Police intervened more than 66,000 times in 2015 and almost 170,000 times in the previous year; figures through September showed 149,519 notifications this year. Criminal courts in Overijssel and the Council for the Judiciary expressed concern about the growing strain on police, justice, probation, prisons and care services, involving a small group of people with severe psychiatric problems, often combined with addiction.

The courts and the Council for the Judiciary said earlier non-criminal interventions could help prevent people from entering the criminal justice system. Psychiatrist Josephine Lenssen of Dimence Groep said suitable housing and care were often difficult to find, leaving vulnerable people at risk of homelessness after detention. Protected living and supervised residential groups were presented as ways to provide continuity, but such places remain scarce; the law allows protected living to be imposed as part of a sentence, although there are often no available places.