Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hasselt prison (640 inmates, built for 450) has 115 of 220 cameras broken. Yzermans urges Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden to take urgent action, as promised €5 million upgrades have stalled.
As VRT News reported, Yzermans checked the Hasselt prison, which is supposed to have good security. He found that over half of the security cameras weren’t working. Out of 220 cameras, 115 were broken. Cameras are important for keeping order and safety.
Yzermans had warned the former Justice Minister, Paul Van Tigchelt, 6 months earlier. The minister promised to spend €5 million to fix the problems. But nothing has improved, and the upgrades haven’t happened as planned, leaving the prison’s security still weak.
What actions will the justice minister take on Hasselt prison overcrowding and security?
Yzermans saw in the control room that many screens were malfunctioning, which further hindered surveillance. Yzermans believes these problems are dangerous and make it harder to keep the prison safe.
He wants the prison to start over with its technology upgrades, even though it will take a lot of time and effort. He mentioned that his goal is to ensure the Hasselt prison gets the necessary attention and investment to improve security and daily operations.
“I therefore ask current Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) for temporary interventions in the short term,”
Yzermans says.
Yzermans is worried about the Hasselt prison being too crowded. The prison has 640 inmates, but it was only built for 450. This means the prison has to squeeze more people into the cells. Some prisoners are even sleeping on the floor because there aren’t enough beds.
Yzermans says that everyone in prison still deserves to be treated well. The overcrowding makes it harder to keep things clean, get medical help, and stay safe. He mentioned that to make things worse, the prison’s security cameras aren’t working properly. This means some areas aren’t being watched, which is dangerous.
With too many people in a small space and less security, problems between the guards and prisoners are getting worse. Yzermans says this is a big problem that needs to be fixed right away. If they don’t act quickly, the situation could become even more dangerous for everyone in the prison.
