Belgium
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
A record number of incarcerated people in Belgium are sleeping on the floor as prison overcrowding worsens, with 750 people currently without a bed, according to the ACOD Prisons trade union.
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
Public sector union ACOD and the Federal Prison Service are once again sounding the alarm as the number of incarcerated people in Brussels prisons continues to rise significantly.
Europe
Foreign prisoners
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Belgium
Renting capacity abroad is one of the avenues the Belgian government is exploring to tackle overcrowding in the country’s prisons. Exploratory visits have already taken place to Kosovo and Albania.
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Belgium
The prison oversight commission has declared the Nivelles prison no longer compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights due to overcrowding and poor conditions.
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
Bunk beds instead of single beds are being touted as the solution to prison overcrowding in Haren prison, on the outskirts of Brussels.
Crises
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
Staff and management at all Belgian prisons will protest against overcrowding in front of prison buildings. “The prison crisis is unprecedented, and prisons are crying out for help,” said the prison administration.
Europe
Mental health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Rehabilitation
Belgium
Overcrowding in Ghent prison reached alarming proportions in 2024, according to a new report by the Inspection Committee. The number of complaints from incarcerated people about living conditions in the prison has risen sharply.
Europe
Overcrowding
Social ties
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
Belgium
The state of prisons - notably overcrowding, poor staff working conditions and inadequate access to support for imprisoned people - are not conducive to rehabilitation, according to a new report by the Brussels Federation of Institutions for Inmates and Former Prisoners (Fidex).
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Torture
Belgium
The incident in which a prisoner in Antwerp was tortured for several days by cellmates is the result of “scandalous working conditions” for staff and prison overcrowding, unions said on Wednesday.
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
Belgian prison staff walked out on strike for 24 hours as part of a joint trade union front, citing overcrowding and “deplorable conditions” for prisoners.
Belgium: diverging pathways
Interview
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Belgium
In recent years, authorities have followed a policy of constructing new ‘mega-prisons’. At the same time, the prison estate has welcomed the creation of smaller facilities. The simultaneous development of these opposing approaches raises a number of questions.
Belgium: intersecting approaches
Interview
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Rehabilitation
Belgium
Hoogstraten Penitentiary School Centre (PSC) is an open prison operating in a 19th century castle. Kortrijk detention house is a small-scale facility located in an urban environment. Prison Insider examines their similarities and differences.
Belgium: "a key voice"
Interview
Europe
Justice
Health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
Marc Nève is a lawyer and President of the Central Prison Monitoring Council in Belgium. He sat down with us to discuss the work of the Council, as well as the main issues facing the Belgian prison system today. Interview.
Belgium: a tough journey
Interview
Europe
Health
Mental health
Drugs
Belgium
Prisons often act as a conduit for worsening drug use, yet prisoners are confronted with numerous barriers when trying to access help.Ambulatoire Forest discussed its psychosocial support programme specifically designed for offenders struggling with substance use.
Women
Europe
LGBTQI
Long-term prisoners
Justice
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Work
Belgium
Violence, acts of protest, prison conditions, justice reforms: find out what is new about prisons and justice in this country. Prison Insider monitors the press on a regular basis.
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Belgium : prisons in 2023
Analysis
Pre-trial detention
Women
Europe
Minors
Foreign prisoners
LGBTQI
Long-term prisoners
Access to legal rights
Discipline
Justice
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Suicide
Overcrowding
Torture
Violence
Activities
Social ties
Work
Belgium
All there is to know about Congolese prisons in 2023. Key figures, life in detention, references: discover all the data gathered by Prison Insider.
Belgium: walling up madness
Analysis
Europe
Access to legal rights
Discipline
Mental health
Drugs
Material conditions
Belgium
Belgium is a federal state. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for prison administration and prison healthcare. People suffering from mental illness who commit a crime are subject to a psychiatric assessment.
Belgium: prison within prison
Interview
Europe
Discipline
Mental health
Material conditions
Belgium
When can someone be sent to solitary confinement? A new report strongly criticises the use of solitary confinement and the conditions of detention observed there. Interview.
