Five exceptions
Concretely, these are “minor” facts. However, the directive is applied on a case-by-case basis, under very strict conditions. Excluded from the directive are acts of terrorism, sexual delinquency, serious violence, convictions of more than 14 years and convicted persons who appear on the Ocam list.
“The arrest tickets issued by the Brussels public prosecutor’s office must be returned to the general prosecutor’s office. As for the arrest tickets issued by provincial prosecutor’s offices, they must also be returned to the issuing prosecutor’s offices”adds the King’s prosecutor.
“Emergency measures had to be organized with our partners to combat prison overcrowding,” explains Valérie Callebaut, spokesperson for the prison administration. “The large number of convicts in the Sky-Ecc trial and, among others, the large Encro trial on October 29, which brought together more than 100 convicts, have put additional pressure on prison capacity. The ever-increasing number of internees (more than 1,000), who have no place in prison, and the large number of prisoners without the right to stay also contribute to this.”
Better distribution of prisoners
Among the emergency measures taken in the short term, include the creation of a map aimed at better distributing prisoners between the different prisons or extended prison leave for prisoners sentenced to sentences of less than 15 years (excluding acts of terrorism). , sexual delinquency, etc.)
Not eligible: convictions for serious violent offenses (murder, homicide, serious theft with violence, assault causing incapacity for work), moral offenses, terrorist offenses, and in the event of immediate danger to the Company. The directive also does not apply to people who are already in pre-trial detention at the time of sentencing or who are immediately arrested by a court.
“The alarm bells about overpopulation have already been sounded several times, today the prison population is 12,777 inmates in all Belgian prisons”concludes Valérie Callebaut.
“Disturbing disposition”
For his part, the deputy MR Denis Ducarme will question the Minister of Justice in order to find out more about this provision deemed “disturbing.” “We are talking here about a person sentenced by the courts to a prison sentence and who will remain free. We are in a situation where court decisions are simply not respected. I will call on the minister to find out the number of prison tickets that this concerns and the duration of the suspension”, concludes Denis Ducarme, who hopes that the future Arizona government will return “as quickly as possible on this provision.”
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