Past MICS Research Projects

• Researchers: Hans Nelen
   
• Duration: Dec 2020 – Jan 2023
   
• Short description: De afgelopen jaren zijn met extra financiële middelen van het kabinet verschillende lokale, regionale en landelijke projecten gestart om ondermijnende criminaliteit aan te pakken en in de kiem te smoren. Daardoor is in Nederland meer bewustwording ontstaan over de ernst van die problematiek en de noodzaak om deze gezamenlijk het hoofd te bieden. Of die aanpak op de juiste fundamenten en veronderstellingen is gebaseerd, staat echter nauwelijks ter discussie. Het is daarom hoog tijd voor een nadere koersbepaling, blijkt uit onderzoek van de Universiteit Maastricht en de Erasmus School of Law (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam).

Klik hier voor meer informatie.

• Researchers: Hans Nelen, Taru Spronken, Gerard de Jonge, Miet Vanderhallen
   
• Partner institutions: The Great Britain China Centre (coordinator), Renmin University of China Law School, The Rights Practice
   
• Funding institution: European Commission EIDHR/2008/148-024
   
• Duration: 2006 - 2009
   

• Short description: This project aimed at improving mutual understanding of China’s legal system, particularly the new evidence rules and the management of detention centres as well as the EU legal system, particularly the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture. The research resulted in a lay visitor scheme. Besides the research, three police training workshops on EU best practice regarding suspect interviews were held in Belgium and China.

  
   

• Publications: 

   

   

  Weidong, C. & Sproinken, T. (Eds.) (2012). Three approaches to Combating torture in China (Maastricht Centre for Human Rights). Antwerp: Intersentia.

• Researchers: Suzan van der Aa, Jacques Claessen, Robin Hofmann
   
• Funding institution: WODC
   
• Duration: 2018-2019
   
• Short description: This project tried to map the (special) procedural needs of hate crime victims in criminal proceedings and the extent to which the Dutch criminal procedure and victim support services are currently living up to those needs. In order to do this, three research methods were employed: 1) a structured literature review of quantitative victimization studies on the impact of hate crime victimization and procedural needs; 2) semi-structured interviews with representatives of victim support organizations and other experts dealing with hate crime victims (e.g., police, public prosecution service, victims support the Netherlands); and 3) an EU-wide comparative survey-study into the rights and services provided to hate crime victims in other EU Member States.

The final report can be found via www.wodc.nl

• Researchers: Hans Nelen, Robin Hofmann
• Partner institutions: EURIEC Limburg, KU Leuven, Hochschule für Polizei und öffentliche Verwaltung NRW
• Funding institution: Europese Commissie en ministerie van J&V
• Duration: Oct 2019 – Sep 2021
   
• Short description: In het plan van aanpak van het Euregionaal Informatie- en Expertise Centrum (EURIEC) worden de contouren ontvouwd van de ambities, taken, beoogde werkwijze en organisatie van deze netwerkorganisatie in oprichting. Het EURIEC beoogt een belangrijke bijdrage te leveren aan de grensoverschrijdende bestuurlijke aanpak van zware criminaliteit in België, Duitsland en Nederland.
  De implementatie van het EURIEC zal begeleid worden door onderzoek dat ondersteunend van karakter is en daardoor als ‘actieonderzoek’ kan worden aangemerkt. Het uitgangspunt van dat type onderzoek is om het beleidsproces te optimaliseren en de kinderziekten waarmee de invoering van nieuw beleid vaak gepaard gaat, te verhelpen. De betrokkenen bij het EURIEC  krijgen nog tijdens het onderzoek van de wetenschappers rechtstreeks feedback en kunnen hun inspanningen en handelwijzen dan in de gewenste richting bijstellen.

More information: www.euriec.nl

• Researchers: Anna Pivaty, Hans Nelen, Dorris de Vocht, Melanie Sauerland, Miet Vanderhallen, Rebecca Heemskerk, Robert Horselenberg, Peggy ter Vrugt
   
• Partner institutions: Dublin City University, Antwerp University and University of Leuven
   
• Funding institution: European Commission – DG Justice and Consumers
   
• Duration: Apr 2018 – Apr 2020
   
• Short description: This research deals with the right to silence in the context of pre-trial suspect interrogation. This is considered to be one of the most controversial procedural rights and a number of issues arise with regard to its precise scope, rationales, limitations as well as its practical implementation. This project examines, legally and empirically, the issues surrounding the implementation of the right to silence and other relevant rights, such as the right of access to a lawyer and to information, in the context of pre-trial suspect interrogation in four jurisdictions: Belgium, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands.

• Researchers: Hans Nelen, Roland Moerland, Kim Geurtjens
   
• Funding institution: WODC (ministerie van Justititie & Veiligheid)
   
• Duration: Mei 2019-Mei 2022
   
• Short description: Actiegericht onderzoek c.q. procesevaluatie die draait om de volgende onderzoeksvraag:
  Wat zijn de ervaringen (good en bad practices) met en de ervaren impact van de in 2019 met behulp van de toegekende extra financiële middelen (Ondermijningsgelden en structurele middelen) ingezette versterking van de aanpak van georganiseerde, ondermijnende criminaliteit door regionale en landelijke partijen in de periode van 2019 tot en met 2021? Welke leerervaringen en lessen uit deze brede versterkingsbeweging kunnen al tijdens de implementatieperiode worden geformuleerd ten behoeve van de ketenpartners en het ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid?

• Researchers: Alexandra de Jong, Hans Nelen, Taru Spronken & Miet Vanderhallen
   
• Funding institution: Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Documentatiecentrum van het Ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie (WODC; Research and Documentation Centre of the Ministry of Justice and Safety
   
• Duration: 2012-2013
   
• Short description: The research aimed at exploring the degree to which and manner in which the presence of a lawyer before/during the police interview can affect the dynamics, results and significance of the police interview in the criminal investigation.To answer this question an international literature review was conducted, completed with focus group interview with lawyers and police officers in three countries: Belgium, England & Wales and the Netherlands.
   
• Publication: Vanderhallen, M., de Jong, A., Nelen, H. & Spronken, T. (2014). Toga’s in de verhoorkamer. De invloed van rechtsbijstand op het politieverhoor [Togas in the interview room.  The impact of legal representation on police interrogations]. Den Haag: Boom lemma Uitgevers.

• Researchers: Dorris de Vocht, Michele Panzavolta, Miet Vanderhallen & Marc van Oosterhout
   
• Partner institutions: Antwerp University, University of Warwick, University of Marcerata, Jagiellonian University of Kraków
   
• Funding institution: Criminal Justice Action Grant of the European Commission (JUST/2011/JPEN/AG2909)
   
• Duration: 2013-2015
   
• Short description: The research consisted of a comparative legal part and an empirical part conducted in five countries: Belgium, England & Wales, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands. The aim was to identify legal and empirical patterns in the procedural protection of juvenile suspects during pre-trial interrogation. The legal study consisted of comparative research into existing procedural safeguards for juvenile suspects during the interrogation. The empirical research consisted of focus group interviews, desk research and observations.
  The findings of both the legal and empirical study resulted in a proposal for European minim rules and best practice on the protection of juvenile suspects during interrogation.
   
• Publications:

De Vocht, D., Panzavolta, M., Vanderhallen, M. & van Oosterhout, M. (2014). Procedural safeguards for juvenile suspects in interrogations: a look at the commission proposal in light of a comparative study, New Journal of European Criminal Law, 5(4), 480-506.

Vocht, D.L.F. de, Panzavolta, M., Vanderhallen, M. & Oosterhout, M. van (Eds.).  (2015). Interrogating young suspects: procedural safeguards from a legal perspective(Maastricht Centre for Human Rights). Antwerp: Intersentia. (428 p.)

Vanderhallen, M., van Oosterhout, M., Panzavolta, M. & de Vocht, D.L.F. (Eds.) (2016). Interrogating young suspects: procedural safeguards from an empirical perspective. (Maastricht Centre for Human Rights). Antwerp: Intersentia. (458 p.)

De Vocht, D., Vanderhallen, M., & Panzavolta, M. (2017). Kinderen in de knel: verhoorbijstand aan minderjarige verdachten in het licht van de Europese richtlijn (EU)2016/800 inzake procedurele waarborgen voor kinderen. Tijdschrift voor Jeugd en Kinderrechten, 4, 287-306.

De Vocht D.L.F., Panzavolta M., Vanderhallen, M. & van oosterhout, M. (2014). Procedural Safeguards for Juvenile Suspects in Interrogations: A Look at the Commission Proposal in Light of an EU Comparative Study, New journal of European criminal law, 480-506.

• Researchers: Hans Nelen, Maaike Peters & Miet Vanderhallen
   
• Funding institution: Politie & Wetenschap [Police & Science]
   
• Duration: 2011-2012
   
• Short description: The research aimed at exploring police cooperation in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine.  The research consisted of i) an international literature and ii) focus group interviews with police from the three countries: Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.  The findings of both parts resulted in recommendations for cross-border police cooperation.
   
• Publications:

Nelen, H., Peters, M. & Vanderhallen, M. (2013). Recherchesamenwerking in de Euregio Maas-Rijn: Knooppunten, knelpunten en kansen [Police collaboration in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion: intersections, bottlenecks and opportunities]. Politie & Wetenschap.

Peters, M., Vanderhallen, M. & Nelen, H. (2016). Cross-Border Criminal Investigation in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion: International Policing and the Theory of (inter-) Organisational Conflict. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 22(1), 41-60.

• Researchers: Enide Maegherman & Miet Vanderhallen
   
• Partner institution: University of Nottingham (coordinator)
   
• Funding institution: British Academy /Leverhulme
   
• Duration: 2017
   
• Short description: The study is a comparative study into police station legal advice consisting of national literature reviews completed with individual interviews with lawyers and/or police officers in six countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, England & Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland & Scotland). 
   
• Publications:

Maegherman, E. & Vanderhallen, M. (2018). Effective police station legal advice - country report: Belgium.

Maegherman, E. & Vanderhallen, M. (2018). Effective police station legal advice - country report: Belgium.