The Dutch psychiatrist intervened in support of the theory that for the State, the long term economic benefits of therapeutic communities far out ways initial costs. Kooyman has brought the example of two structures, the “Emiliehoeve”, of which he is founder, and “Triple Ex”. “the 3.5 million annually for the State coffers has been saved by each of the two communities thanks to the complete recovery of their guests” said the Rotterdam psychiatrist “an estimate that’s created by the social and health costs, costs on the judicial system, costs for the police, costs of criminal activity and from unemployment benefits”.
The rapporteur has described the merit of the Dutch situation: “in my country, almost the entire population has life insurance. Expenses for therapeutic communities are therefore covered by insurance companies. The Government, because of the recession, has agreed to a reduction in the availability of and the duration of recovery programs, considering that three months inside a therapeutic structure is sufficient. It is a grave mistake: the minimum time required for a successful rehabilitation program is 10-12 months, the longer the program the higher the chances of success”.