Prison officers at Antwerp prison decided on Monday morning not to admit any new inmates. The announcement that there would no new admissions at the jail that has issues with overcrowding came from the socialist public sector union ACOD that represents some of the prison officers that work there.
Prison officers at Antwerp Prison are once again refusing to accept new admissions
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The Prisons’ Authority has confirmed that officers at Antwerp Prison are refusing to admit new inmates, adding that it is consulting with examining magistrates to see where the detainees that would normally have been sent to Antwerp Prison can be sent instead. As was the case previously, the prison officers are once again protesting against overcrowding at the prison. Issues with overcrowd have led to aggression by prisoners against prison staff and other inmates.
This is not the first time that guards at Antwerp Prison have taken action of this nature. ACOD’s Mario Heylen says that overcrowding and staff shortage are resulting in degrading conditions for prisoners and an increase of assaults by prisoners both on other inmates and on prison staff.
At any given time around 70 inmates at Antwerp prison are having to sleep on matrasses on the floor of their cells as there are not enough beds. The unions are calling for the number of male inmates at the jail to be limited to a maximum of 600, which is still higher than the prison’s capacity of 439 inmates.
The Prisons’ Authority has been informed of the prison officers’ action by the prison’s governor. It says that the action is “regrettable” as it has plans to transfer a number of inmates from Antwerp Prison to other jails “in the near future”.
The Prisons’ Authority’s Kathleen Van de Vijver told journalists that “We have been preparing to transfer inmates since last week. 32 inmates are currently ready to leave. But of course, the practicalities of arranging this take a little time”. Ms Van de Vijver added that talks with management and staff from the prison were already planned.
The Prisons’ Authority has reiterated its call to the next federal government to set quotas for the maximum number of inmates in each of the country’s jails.