Overcrowding in Bruges prison leads to more aggression: ‘they themselves ask to stay in isolation cell’

Especially in the section where short-term prisoners and suspects or accused persons stay, there are too many people together. There is room for 626 prisoners in the Bruges prison, but the 2022 annual report shows that there are almost 40 percent more prisoners.

Full figures are not available, but samples indicate an overcrowding of 38.7 percent of official capacity for the two departments for men, a sharp increase from the 17.6 percent overcrowding the previous year.

More personnel actions

The management has already taken action by expanding the cells for one person with a bunk bed, but now mattresses are also placed on the floor. That has consequences. For example, there is a direct link between overcrowding and the increase in aggression and violence within the prison walls.

This violence leads to a more militant attitude of the security staff, who feel threatened. This also leads to more spontaneous actions by the staff, whereby work in the prison is temporarily largely halted. For example, there were 18 strikes during 24 hours.

“Detainees miss opportunities”

Overcrowding has other negative consequences that the Commission points out. Because the visitor rooms were full, for example, the number of visitors per detainee had to be limited to two (plus children) and the number of tables was limited.

Non-smokers are regularly obliged to live in one cell with smokers. And the preparation of the individual reports that the Sentence Execution Court needs for its rulings on the further execution of sentences of individual detainees is delayed. “The detainees miss opportunities because of this,” it sounds.

More and more detainees appear to be staying in isolation or punishment cells at their own request.

Little nutrition

Because the prison kitchen was closed all year round for complete renovation, detainees only received frozen meals of 500 grams all year round, with little variety and, above all, insufficient fresh fruit and vegetables.

The Commission is particularly concerned about the lack of appropriate care for detainees with a chronic illness – such as Parkinson’s disease – or elderly detainees with dementia. For example, she had to establish that at a certain moment five very elderly people with dementia were staying in the Medical bow. “The medical bow is completely unsuitable for that, neither in terms of infrastructure nor in terms of personnel,” says Francis Decoster of the Commission.