The IST project looks at the importance of mutual trust between young people and the Dutch criminal justice system. While overall trust in the police and justice system is fairly high, there are big differences based on ethnicity and socio-economic status (SES). These differences show up not only in levels of trust, but also in how different groups are treated — from police contact to sentencing and repeat offenses.

The project wants to make progress in both society and science. In society, it hopes to help reduce problems with trust and unfair differences in sentencing and repeat offenses. In science, it aims to improve current methods and theories by studying how disadvantages build up throughout the criminal justice system, and how things like ethnicity, SES, and other personal traits are connected to this.

To reach its goals, the project will take several steps. On a large scale, we will create a monitor to track unfair treatment in the criminal justice system. On a smaller scale, we will develop programs for both police and young people to build more trust between them. The IST project will also look for more ways to make the project even more effective. In this way, the project aims to create a fairer and safer future for young people and help the justice system work well in a society that is becoming more diverse.