“A cell measuring three meters by three meters,” says De Smedt. “With three people, one of whom has to lie on a mattress on the floor. Of course something like this leads to escalations and aggression.” He calls it “downright distressing” how many prisoners are locked up in our country today. “In principle, there is capacity for approximately 10,500 detainees in Belgian prisons.”
At the Prison Service they recognize the situation. “We confirm the fact that today 12,012 detainees are locked up in Belgian prisons,” said spokeswoman Kathleen Van De Vijver. “On February 1, we will again consult with the unions to discuss this issue.”
Including the two detention houses and transition houses that have been established, there are currently 10,700 places for detainees, according to the prison system.
The unions previously announced a series of strikes in various Flemish prisons for next week.