Belgium (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Belgium is letting more prisoners near release get extended leave to handle overcrowding. Right now, 594 prisoners are on this program, but overcrowding is still a big problem.
Belgian prisons have a big problem with too many prisoners. Now, there are more than 1,300 extra prisoners than the jails can handle, and this number is increasing. The Prisons’ Directorate is extending the “extended prison leave” system to lessen overcrowding. This means that prisoners with less than 6 months left of their sentence can leave jail. To be eligible for VPV, most prisoners must have already had some days out of prison before. If those days went well, they could get extended prison leave and leave jail early.
What changes are impacting extended leave for Prisoners?
Prisoners don’t need to have had short-term leave before to be considered for extended leave. This change excludes serious criminals and sex offenders. Prisoners without a permanent home won’t be released. Those who are released have their extended leave checked every month. Right now, there are 594 prisoners out on extended leave. The eligibility for extended leave, the prison service aims to lessen the number of prisoners sleeping on the floor due to a lack of beds. On Thursday, 125 prisoners had to sleep on the floor in Belgian jails.
While the system helps with the prison problem, it doesn’t solve the overcrowding issue in Belgian jails. Out of the 139 empty spots this week, 64 have already been filled by new prisoners.
