Belgium’s total prison population rose by more than a fifth between 2023 and 2025, the annual report of the Central Prison Supervisory Board shows. In some prisons, such as Mechelen, the number of inmates is almost double the actual capacity.
Home News
Prison population up by 20% in three years
Published:
The problems in Belgian prisons are well known. Overcrowding and the number of inmates sleeping on the floor are the main cause for concern in the annual report of the board (CTRG), which was published on Monday.
The report shows that the prison population has risen sharply, particularly over the last three years. Between 2023 and 2025, the total population increased by more than 20%, due to the political decision to enforce sentences of up to three years. However, that decision was not accompanied by an increase in capacity.
On 2 January 2023, there were 124 prisoners serving sentences of up to one year and 399 prisoners serving sentences of between one and three years, the report states. By 2 January 2026, these had risen to 405 and 1,476 respectively, an increase of 1,358 people or more than a threefold increase.
“The introduction of the amended prison regime therefore reads like a chronicle of a catastrophe foretold,” the board says.
In Mechelen, there are almost twice as many inmates as the capacity allows. There is room for 84 people but an average of 153 were held there last year. Dinant has room for 32 people but 57 are held there.
Internees do not belong in prisons, and prisons are not places for providing care
The number of people held under internment, having been declared not criminally responsible or considered to have a mental disorder, has also risen significantly. In 2023, there were 851 detainees; by 2025, that had risen to 1,074.
“In practice, internees remain for long periods in prisons where the objective of care provision and reintegration, which underpins the detention measure, cannot be met,” the report says. “This situation is unlawful and contravenes international legal instruments for the protection of fundamental human rights.”
Ten years ago, a new detention law was passed with the aim of keeping this group of people out of prison as far as possible, but this is not applied in practice. For the CTRG, the situation is clear: “Internees do not belong in prisons, and prisons are not places for providing care.”
Overcrowding in Belgium is among the highest of the member states of the Council of Europe. The ratio between the total average daily population in 2025 and the average capacity in 2025 stands at 117 per cent.
Furthermore, the number of prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants is one of the highest among the Western European member states of the Council of Europe, with 113.5 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants. In France, the figure is 111.5, while Spain has 117.2.
Other member states have much lower rates, such as Germany with 71.2 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, Denmark with 69.3 and Norway with 54.1.
The challenges and structural problems facing the prison system are neither insurmountable nor inevitable; they are the result of choices
It is unlikely that these countries have a fundamentally different crime rate to Belgium. The CTRG recognises that the problem is not solely about prisons and also considers public prosecutors and criminal courts.
In his foreword, the vice-chair calls for a fundamental re-examination of the merits and shortcomings of prison sentences. This is “not a mere thought experiment”, he says.
“The challenges and structural problems facing the prison system are neither insurmountable nor inevitable; they are the result of choices. This means that different choices can lead to different outcomes.”