Our law firm has represented several clients facing criminal charges, including during pretrial detention (voorlopige hechtenis). If you have been arrested, you may be facing severe legal consequences and should hire legal representation immediately. If you can’t afford an attorney, the government can cover your expenses. Find out more on our Rates & Fees page.

Many coercive measures can be used against a suspect, including searching their home, listening to their phone, and confiscating items. There are also coercive measures against the private liberty of the suspect. In a few cases and under strict conditions, the prosecutor can hold a suspect in pretrial detention pending further investigation by the police. This is mostly intended to keep the suspect available to the police for further questioning or to conduct further investigations without the suspect being able to disrupt the investigation.

It is extremely important that a criminal defense attorney is contacted immediately when the suspect is arrested. The pretrial detention will be reviewed several times by a magistrate, but the time between an arrest and the conclusion of a trial can often be many months, if not years. A criminal defense attorney will consider not only the possibility of pretrial release, but also the legality of the detention itself, weight of the evidence and the jurisdictional issues.