The Public Prosecution Service (OM) asks for your opinion on an appropriate penalty for embezzling money or goods in employment/position. This refers to stealing from the boss.
The results of this survey will be taken into account when adjusting the prosecution guidelines on this subject for public prosecutors. You can fill out the questionnaire until July 1, 2026.
In addition to this online questionnaire, the OM surveys high school students across the Netherlands. The OM does this in collaboration with ProDemos. Students discuss the case and answer the same questions.
The OM brings suspects of a crime before the judge daily and formulates a penalty demand. The penalty demand must do justice to the seriousness of the crime and also to the feelings in society. Therefore, the OM organizes consultations on various subjects to gauge these feelings: in the eyes of society, is the penalty demand too lenient, too high, or should it be punished in another way? Earlier questions were about the abuse of sexual imagery, illegal fireworks, and animal cruelty.
Guidelines
For most criminal offenses, the OM has national prosecution guidelines. For example, there is a guideline for shoplifting, vandalism, driving under the influence, and drugs. These guidelines specify the penalties or penalty demands that a public prosecutor may consider for offenders who are committing crimes for the first time and for offenders who repeatedly commit crimes. The principles in a guideline provide guidance for determining the penalty (demand), taking into account other (personal) circumstances.
Survey: give your opinion
The case comes with a short animation. Watch the animation and then start via the interactive questionnaire.
