ABSTRACT
The Netherlands is a small country (34,000 km2), but with fifteen million inhabitants it is - like Japan - densely populated. An important development is the so-called "greying" of the population. The proportion of persons of age 50 and over is increasing, while the juvenile population declines. The age group 12 to 17 was about 1,500,000 in 1980 and 1,100,000 in 1992, a decline of 27 percent. This demographic change has an impact on the number of juveniles who come into conflict with the law, although this impact should not be overstated.
