Belgium’s Justice minister calls for urgent action as prison directors demand inmate release quotas
Belgium’s Justice minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) says the government must send a clear signal that it takes the prison crisis seriously, following a stark warning from prison directors.
This week the number of inmates reached over 13,000, a record high. More than 320 prisoners are forced to sleep on the floor. In an open letter, prison governors said they can no longer operate lawfully under such conditions and demanded immediate measures.
They are calling for strict quotas: until no one is left sleeping on the floor, two prisoners should be released for every new inmate. Afterwards, they want a “one in, one out” rule to prevent numbers from rising again. They also demand funding based on the real population of 13,000 inmates, not the official capacity of 11,000.
The letter, signed by directors across Flanders and Wallonia, ends with a warning that ignoring their appeal is no longer an option: “If decisions do not follow, actions will be inevitable.”
Speaking on VRT radio, Verlinden said she had already taken steps to address overcrowding since taking office, but stressed the issue cannot be solved by Justice alone. “More than 5,000 inmates are living in Belgium without legal status, and over 1,000 need psychiatric care. This is also a matter for Migration, Health, and Foreign Affairs”, she said.
She recently asked for an additional 1 billion euros for Justice ahead of budget talks, calling prisons the “cornerstone of the rule of law”.
The showdown comes just one day before staff and management across all Belgian prisons stage a coordinated protest. On Thursday, from 12.30 to 14.30, they will gather outside prison gates in work clothes to highlight what unions call an “unprecedented crisis”.
© BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS