Match tool (for work penalties)

Addiction rehabilitation foundation GGZ

Community service is one of the three main penalties, alongside imprisonment and a fine. Community service is also called community service. It is imposed by the judge or the public prosecutor and carried out by the probation service. The match tool is a digital planning tool where the probation service can more easily match suitable projects to community service offenders.

Last change on 15th of December 2025, at 11:30 (CET) | Publication Standard 1.0

• Publication category: Impactful algorithms
• Impact assessment: Field not filled in.
• Status: In use

General information

Theme

Law

Begin date

2023-11

Contact information

[e-mail]

Responsible use

Goal and impact

Community service is one of the three main penalties, alongside imprisonment and a fine, and is also known as community service. It means that a person has to perform meaningful unpaid work in free time, aimed at satisfying society. It serves society and community service because it reduces the risk of recidivism and increases resocialisation. This punishment is imposed by the judge or the Public Prosecutor and is carried out by the Probation Service.

When a person is given community service, the probation service contacts that person. In an initial conversation (an intake), the process is explained after which a community service project is assigned. The person may discuss their own wishes in this interview. The probation service ultimately decides where and when the work will be carried out.

There are a whole number of places where community service can be carried out (we call these community service projects). Based on a number of predetermined variables, the plan help gives a recommendation for a suitable community service project for the community service offender.

Each external community service project is assessed by the Ministry of Justice and Security against the criteria set out in Article 3 of the Decree on the Enforcement of Criminal Decisions (https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0042962/2024-07-01#Hoofdstuk3).

The probation organisations in the Netherlands all use the match tool. These are the institutions of Stichting Verslavingsreclassering GGZ, Reclassering Nederland and Stichting Leger des Heils Jeugdbescherming & Reclassering.

Considerations

Matching clients with a suitable community service project requires staff knowledge about the various community service projects the probation service works with. Given the multitude of project placements, it is difficult to know all the information of the available projects. The match tool is supportive in making the right match. This is helpful for new staff on the one hand, and for experienced staff the tool can reduce the danger of less objective placements. When the probation service uses the tool, the tool only makes a proposal. The staff member ultimately decides where a community service offender will be placed and can therefore deviate from the proposals with justification. The guideline is that the tool is used, however, a community service project can also be awarded without the tool. Reason for this is that customisation is paramount and the tool cannot take into account all factors that may influence an appropriate community service project.

Human intervention

Human intervention always takes place when using the matching tool. A probation officer looks at the list of proposed community service projects and finally decides which community service project is the best fit. The proposal is based on certain filters such as the probation organisation to whom the assignment is assigned, distance from the client's address to the address of the community service project, match and exclusion criteria and availability. Ten community service projects are then shown where the processing times are the fastest. These can be chosen or reasoned deviation from if the suggested community service projects turn out to be unsuitable after all. It is important that the community service offender is allocated a suitable community service project in time.

Risk management

The probation service has an agreement with each work-study project. Variables of the project are 'matched' to the capabilities and availability of the workmate identified during the intake interview with the workmate. If the criteria are properly entered into the system, the matching tool can make the most optimal proposal. However, in certain cases, there may be specific contraindications that are important when proposing a community service project, but which are not built into the algorithm. This is the reason that staff always check whether the outcome is the best suited option for the community service offender and, if necessary, choose another community service project, so that customisation is provided tailored to the individual. If necessary, the criteria can be adjusted.

Legal basis

Probation Regulation 1995

Enforcement of Criminal Decisions Decree, paragraph 3

Penal Code, article 9

Code of Criminal Procedure, article 6:3:1 et seq.

Links to legal bases

• Probation Regulation 1995: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0007120/2019-06-26
• Enforcement of Criminal Decisions Decree, paragraph 3: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0042962/2024-07-01#Hoofdstuk3

Elaboration on impact assessments

DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment ) is carried out.

Operations

Data

In order to link to a suitable community service project, a number of data are used by the match tool. Some of these are also laid down in law, in the Decree on enforcement of criminal decisions.

For example, when determining the actual work or obligations, the committed offence, the capacities, capabilities and specific circumstances of the community service offender, and the travel distance from the place of residence to the project location must be taken into account.

In addition, the probation organisation to which the assignment is assigned is taken into account, and information about the community service offender such as gender, type of offence, physical capacity and degree of independence

Technical design

The algorithm is a kind of choice tree (decision tree) and is therefore not self-learning. As a result, the algorithm cannot make choices based on prejudice (bias) or favour certain individuals or community service projects.

The algorithm suggests community service projects with which the probation service has a cooperation agreement. The algorithm makes a proposal based on the entered information about the community service offender (as mentioned under heading data) and compares it with the variables of community service projects . It shows a list of 10 community service projects where completion times are the fastest.

External provider

This programme was created for and is managed by the probation service.