The first prisoners arrived at Camp Erika in Ommen on 19 June 1942. The camp population consisted mainly of convicts of the Dutch judiciary and economic offenders. The internees were brought to Camp Erika to relieve the overcrowded prisons. They had to perform hard labour in this Justizlager.

Constant harassment, beatings and intimidation were daily occurrences and often these atrocities were accompanied by murder. The remoteness of the camp allowed the guards to abuse the prisoners unhindered and systematically. Forced labour, disease, malnutrition, beatings and outright murder took the lives of between 170 and 200 prisoners in Erika. When these atrocities came to light in 1943, it marked the end of Justizlager Erika.

Subsequently, the penal camp was renamed to education and transit camp. Between 1943 and 1944, the camp housed people who had volunteered to work in Germany, people in hiding and 'anti-socials'. There was less mistreatment but still living conditions were so bad that internees died. 

In the autumn of 1944, Camp Erika again became a penal camp. Atrocities increased again, partly because of the presence of the Ordnungspolizei, the SS and the Sicherheidsdienst in the camp. This also increased the number of deaths among the prisoners, at least nine of whom were shot.

Camp Erika was liberated on 11 April 1945, but had been evacuated a few days before because of the Canadian advance, with the prisoners having to walk all the way to labour camp De Pieterberg near Westerbork. That march took two days, via Balkbrug, Zuidwolde, and Hoogeveen, where they spent the night.

Before the group of several hundred prisoners arrived in Westerbork, they were exposed to air raids by Allied planes and the cruel arbitrariness of nervous guards. At the slightest hint of trouble, the baton was struck and runaways risked a bullet.

Yet during the confusion along the way, many managed to escape and less than half of the dead-tired men arrived at Westerbork, where even those who had survived the hardships were liberated a few days later.