A 24-hour strike got under way in the country’s prisons at 10pm on Thursday. Prison staff are taking strike action in protest at overcrowding and an increase in violence against prison officers. Meanwhile, the Federal Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt (Flemish liberal) has promised a number of measures to address the prison officers’ concerns. Mr Van Tigchelt proposes increasing capacity at Ieper Prison in West Flanders and Haren Prison in Brussels, sending undocumented migrants back to their country of origin more quickly and changes the arrangements on prison leave.
Home News
24-hour strike in the country’s prisons, Justice Minister promises measures to tackle overcrowding
Published:
The unions issued a strike notice on 2 March. Last Monday talks were held between the unions that represent prison staff and representatives from the office of the Federal Justice Minister. However, they failed to reach an agreement that was sufficient to satisfy the unions’ rank and file.
Prison overcrowding has long been a major issue in Belgium. The country currently has 12,400 inmates in prisons and detention centres. The country’s penitentiaries have a combined capacity of 10,700 places. This means that there are currently around 1,700 more inmates than there is room for. Consequently around 250 prisons are having to sleep on a matrass of a cell that they share with other inmates.
Minister Van Tigchelt (photo) has already announced a number of measures to combat overcrowding, such as extending prison leave. However, the unions feel that this is not enough. In a statement the unions say that "There is a lack of appropriate measures to immediately reduce prison overcrowding. Safety can no longer be guaranteed in prisons”.
“Fewer in, more out”
Speaking on VRT Radio 1's morning news and current affairs programme 'De ochtend', the Federal Justice Minister promised measures to combat overcrowding in prisons. Mr Van Tigchelt said that capacity will be increased at Ieper Prison in West Flanders and Haren Prison in Brussels. He also said that convicts that are undocumented migrants will be returned to their countries f origin more quickly, and that the rules on prison leave will be modified.
Speaking about an incident in which an prisoner was subjected to a 3-day torture ordeal by his cellmates at Antwerp Prison, Mr Van Tigchelt said "I feel responsible". The cell in which the torture took place is intended to house 3 prisoners, but is currently occupied by 6 inmates. The Justice Minister was keen to stress that long before the incident came to light measures were being taken to ease overcrowding and understaffing in the country’s jails. "During this legislature, we have already created 1,200 addition prison places and hired 611 additional staff".
He added that a third of prison cells have been renovated in recent years and that the focus is on facilitating reintegration and rehabilitation. The Justice Minster said that resources have been made available to create 15 detention centres.
Mr Van Tigchelt says that he is collaborating closely with other ministers to ensure that 1,000 detainees with mental health issues can be transferred to psychiatric institutions. He also intends to speed up the return of undocumented migrants that have been convicted of criminal offences to their countries of origin so that they can serve their prison sentences there.