THE GEOGRAPHY OF CRIME IN THE NETHERLANDS
PeÂnal. The French code was characterised by a large degree of tolerance, reflecting the view that the State should not act as moralist (van Dellen 1987). The death penalty was abol- ished in the Netherlands in 1870, except in times of war. In the aftermath of the Second World War, 152 death penalties were enforced for war crimes, of which 40 were executed.
Statistics on crime and punishment not only reflect constantly changing views in society on which activities can or will not be tolerated; they also mirror two other non-static trends. The first is the degree to which the members of a society comply to the set of rules and values; the second is the degree to which residents resign themselves to crime and find it useful to report crimes to the police.