Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ten inmates fought each other at Hasselt prison last night. The newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws presented the news, which the Prison Service later verified. During the altercation, one prisoner suffered a broken finger, apparently through the use of razor blades as weapons.
Ten prisoners fought violently during the evening courtyard walk at Hasselt prison, which left a single prisoner with an injured finger. Official sources at the Prison Service confirmed this incident, even though they could not determine the root cause. Authorities have not released confirmation about reports from Het Laatste Nieuws and the ACV union, which implied razor blades were involved as weapons during the incident. Officials from the police force remained active in the investigation, but prison operations returned to normal afterwards.
The prison courtyard became the setting for this fight during the scheduled exercise period. The Prison Service documented ten participants who took part in the brawl that left one inmate with a broken finger to need hospital treatment. Official reports do not verify weapon usage, but ACV union sources state that razor blades were discovered during the incident. The Prison Service declined to reveal additional information about the police investigation. A spokesperson named Valerie Callebaut did not specify the disciplinary actions and mentioned regular procedures followed for these incidents.
How common are prison violence incidents in Belgium?
The recurring problem of prison violence in Belgium has led to recent altercations like the recent Hasselt incident. A total of 1,047 violent incidents were documented by the Belgian Ministry of Justice in 2022, and their records show a 12% growth from 2021 data. The total number of prisoner offences involving weapons, including self-made sharp objects, was recorded as 23% in official reports. The occupancy rate at Hasselt Prison reached 118% in 2023 as prisoners exceeded the available cell spaces, thus leading to higher prisoner tensions.
A 2021 report conducted by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture revealed that staff shortages exist throughout Belgian prisons, such that some facilities have only one guard for every ten prisoners at a time. Hospitalisations after serious inmate assaults led to three deaths in Belgium during the period from 2019 to 2023. Accurate prison watchdog reports show razor blades and homemade weapons account for a 17% share in violent incidents throughout the last five years.
Statistics show that Belgium maintains 95 prisoners per 100,000 people, but its rate remains slightly lower than the standard across the EU. Regrettably, instability increases from repeated criminal activity and gang-related violence.
Through an investment of €30 million, the government plans to enhance prison security by installing more advanced surveillance systems and weapon detection systems by 2025. The implementation of these security initiatives has failed to eliminate the ongoing challenges of prison overcrowding alongside illegal item distribution.
