Prisons
After the severe violence in the Antwerp prison, Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt sent a letter to the prison staff. In it he says he will take measures to improve the “exceptionally difficult” working conditions. “But it is true that this is still insufficient to keep it workable.”
Minister Van Tigchelt (Open VLD) admits that overcrowding and the outdated infrastructure make the work particularly difficult. “The work you do is really not for everyone. I fully realize that. And your patience has been tested for some time now. We will do our utmost to improve your working conditions and the living conditions for detainees,” he promised.
The minister points out to the staff that structural measures have been taken to create 1,200 additional places and to introduce prison sentences as a last resort. “We are also re-enforcing short sentences to reduce recidivism and sentence inflation. I know that you support this vision, but above all you want it not only to improve in the future, but also to remain feasible and workable today.”
Short-term measures
As short-term measures, Van Tigchelt refers to the reintroduction of extended penitentiary leave, preventing internees from the forensic care circuit from returning to prison and accelerating the return of foreign prisoners without the right to stay. These measures have made it possible to reduce the number of people in prisons by 275, he said.
“We are also once again focusing on the accelerated recruitment procedure to strengthen personnel frameworks and be able to put the additional capacity into use as quickly as possible. But it is true that this is still insufficient to keep it workable. We will therefore continue to evaluate the measures and make adjustments where necessary,” the minister concludes.
The problems in the Belgian prison system came to the fore again this week after it became known that a detainee in the detention center in the Begijnenstraat in Antwerp had been tortured and raped for days by fellow detainees.
