Prison guards in Brussels and Flanders begin a 24-hour strike this December 6, denouncing overcrowding and lack of staff in prison establishments. These problems, which have persisted for decades, remain difficult to resolve.
Prison overcrowding is a structural problem in Belgium.
For thirty years, the number of prisoners has systematically exceeded the capacity of prisons.
Harold Sax, co-president of the International Prison Observatory, explains: “Belgium is one of the countries that uses preventive detention the most. Therefore, a whole series of people are incarcerated awaiting trial.”
Currently, almost 40% of prisoners are in preventive detention, a particularly high proportion compared to other European countries. Added to this are frequent tightening of parole conditions, contributing to lasting saturation.
Varied profiles of prisoners
In addition to detainees in preventive detention, several categories worsen the situation:
- Psychiatric internees: More than 1,000 internees occupy places in prison, due to lack of suitable infrastructure
- Illegally staying foreigners: Representing around 40% of detainees, these people could theoretically be repatriated according to the procedures in force, but these measures are not systematically applied
“We have a large number of internees and people staying illegally in our prisons, which contributes to overcrowding”specifies Valérie Callebaut, spokesperson for the general directorate of penitentiary establishments.
-New prisons, but no solution
To try to alleviate this problem, Belgium has invested in the construction of new prisons. But, according to Harold Sax, this strategy solves nothing.
The new prison places, we fill them
“The new prison spaces, we fill them. It’s like parking spaces in the city: the more spaces there are, the more they fill up. In the best case scenario, the overpopulation rate remains stable, but in the worse, it increases”he attests.
Recent mega-lawsuits, such as EncrocChat and Sky ECC, have also added additional pressure.
These large-scale cases, linked to criminal networks, led to the conviction of around 200 people this fall, fueling a significant flow of new detainees.
A cry of alarm
The prison guards’ strike takes place in a context where prison staff are overwhelmed by a growing number of prisoners and a lack of resources.
The movement, which begins this evening at 10 p.m., aims to warn of deteriorating working conditions and prison management that has become unmanageable.
prison prison overcrowding prison strike belgium
