Pro-Kid used for risk assessment by the Dutch police

This information was sourced from the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (2026): PSTW: Public Sector Tech Watch latest dataset of selected cases. [Dataset] doi: 10.2905/JRC.J1MWC9R PID: http://data.europa.eu/89h/e8e7bddd-8510-4936-9fa6-7e1b399cbd92. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).

The Dutch police have used an automated risk assessment tool called ProKid since 2011 to evaluate the risk of (re)offending among children and young people.

The tool is an actuarial risk assessment system that assigns weights to specific information to estimate the risk of future violent and property offenses. However, it does not actually predict the likelihood of criminality but rather the likelihood of a child being registered on the police system in relation to a crime.

ProKid utilizes police data from criminal fact and criminal opinion databases to formulate its risk assessments.

Being assessed as 'at risk' by ProKid can have significant consequences for children and their families, potentially leading to separation and involvement with youth care and child abuse protection services.

The assessments have been found to be incorrect and erroneous in a significant number of cases. A Ministry of Security and Justice evaluation revealed that one-third of the assessed children had their risk levels mis-assigned due to errors or reports based on irrelevant incidents.

ProKid profiles serve as the initial step in a series of automated risk assessments that can have serious implications in the criminal justice system. Despite its name, ProKid has raised concerns and controversy.

Budget: Not disclosed