Overcrowding in the country’s prisons remains a major issue. According to the latest figures 525 inmates in Belgian prisons are currently sleeping on the floor of their cell as there is no bed available for them. This is an increase of 36 on a week ago when the unions and prison governors spoke of “an unprecedented number” of prisoners for whom there is no bed.
Last week, the Director of the Prison Service Mathilde Steenbergen says that the current situation is “A humanitarian crisis for inmates and a state of emergency for staff”. Since them the situation has worsened still further.
On Monday, in the Prison Service’s Southern Region there were 41 inmates sleeping on the floor at the prison in Nivelles (Walloon Brabant), 38 in Leuze (Hainaut), 34 inmates, including 4 women, at Marche-en-Famenne (Luxembourg Province), 31, including 4 woman, at Mons Prison (Hainaut), 29 at Tournai Prison (Hainaut), 26 at Namur Jail, 13 at Lantin (Liège Province) and 7 each at Arlon (Luxembourg Province) and Jamioulx (Hainaut).
In the Prison Service's Northern region the situation is worst at Antwerp Prision, where 67 inmates are currently sleeping on the floor. 46 prisoners are currently sleeping on the floor at Ghent Jail (East Flanders), 33 at Dendermonde (East Flanders), 30 at Hasselt Prison (Limburg Province), 28 each at Oudenaarde (East Flanders) and Ieper (West Flanders). In addition to this there are currently 25 inmates sleeping on the floor at Bruges Prison (West Flanders), 18 at Turnhout Jail, 13 at Mechelen (both Antwerp Province) and 9 at Leuven Auxiliary Prison (Flemish Brabant).
Now also an issue at Haren Prison in Brussels
Capacity is also too low in the Brussels region. For several days now, people have been sleeping on the floor at the relatively new Haren Prison. The Prison Service says that there are currently 7 inmates at the jail that are without beds.
Capacity is to be increased by replacing regular beds with bunk beds. This will provide 43 addition places. The Prison Service calls on the Justice Department to take emergency measures quickly to resolve the overcrowding issues.
Emergency law has as yet failed to resolve the overcrowding
Legislation that came into force in August and is designed to resolve the overcrowding issues has as yet failed to have much impact.
There are currently 13,459 prisoners in our prisons, this is 62 more than there were a week ago. Belgium’s prisons have a combined capacity of 11,098 places.