Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Belgium ranks among Europe’s top ten most overcrowded prisons, with brutal conditions criticized by NGOs. Despite efforts to alleviate overcrowding, recent statistics show persistent issues. Suicides in prison also remain a concern.
Belgium persists in ranking in the top ten concerning the most overcrowded prisons in Europe, statistics from the Council of Europe (CoE) revealed. The country also performs badly in terms of the number of suicides in prison.
What Factors Contribute to Belgium’s Prison Overcrowding Crisis?
For years now, Belgium‘s prisons have been rated among the most congested in Europe. The prison system’s regular lack of capacity has resulted in brutal conditions for which the country has been criticised by NGOs, including prisoners sleeping on cell floors, and recently, a prisoner was tormented for several days consecutively – a happening which unions attributed to overcrowding and staff deficiencies, and which resulted in several strikes.
What Measures Have Been Implemented to Alleviate Overcrowding?
Despite new prison spaces and measures to combat prison overcrowding such as a quick scheme to reduce prisoners’ sentences, the country anchored in fourth place for highest prison density in the latest hierarchy of the CoE, covering the period from 31 January 2022 to 31 January 2023 and including info from 48 prison administrations across Europe.
Belgium was among the seven prison authorities that reported a prison density of more than 105 inmates per 100 sites available, indicating severe overcrowding. Of the 100 places known in Belgium, 115 inmates were held in prisons.
How Do Belgium’s Prison Conditions Compare to Other European Countries?
National figures issued earlier this year confirmed the alarming situation: for the first time, prisoner numbers have reached 12,000 in a system that only has an accommodation for 10,700. Overcrowding is most intense in Cyprus (166 inmates per 100 places available), followed by Romania (120) and France (119).
Overall, in Europe, the number of inmates per 100 places available increased by 2%, from 91.7 to 93.5 inmates. On 31 January last year, a full 1,036,680 people were imprisoned in 48 prison administrations.
What Are the Key Statistics on Prison Suicides in Belgium?
Belgium also achieved poorly when it came to suicide endeavours. Here, the suicide rate per 10,000 prisoners was 14.3. The highest rate was registered in Latvia (21.7), followed by Switzerland (20.2), France (19.1), the UK: Scotland (18.9), Spain: Catalonia (16.8) and Italy (15.0). The European median is 5.3 per 10,000 prisoners.
How Does Belgium’s Drug-Related Conviction Rate Compare in Europe?
Belgium is also recognised for its high number of prisoners convicted for drug-related offences, with 29% of criminals behind bars for these crimes. This can be defined by the high number of convictions and individuals in pre-trial detention following the Sky ECC drug trafficking operation.
