background There is a growing interest in de presence of people with mild and borderline intellectual disabilities (mbid) in de criminal justice system in The Netherlands.
aim To present an overview of the current knowledge regarding the prevalence of mbid in the criminal justice system and the importance of recognition of mbid in this contact.
method Several recent publications are listed and a number of recent developments in the Dutch criminal justice system have been described.
results The perception that there is an overrepresentation of people with an mbid in the criminal justice chain is confirmed. In addition, it is noted that there are various ways in which not recognizing the problem of mbid can lead to damage.
conclusion It is concluded that recognition of the mbid problem is of great importance, but that within the criminal justice system knowledge about this problem should also increase in order to prevent problems.