Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – After 10 days of talks, Leuven’s auxiliary prison remains overcrowded with 218 inmates in 149 spaces. ACV-OD Justice warns lack of a budget prevents safe prisoner separation, raising serious risks.
As VRT News reported, Leuven’s auxiliary prison is facing overcrowding, and no solution has been found after 10 days of talks. The prison on Maria Theresiastraat was built to hold 149 inmates. Emergency measures have increased capacity to 204 with extra beds.
Despite this, 218 prisoners are currently held there. 14 of them sleep on mattresses on the floor. Frederique Baele, chair of ACV-OD Justice, said 3 to 4 inmates share a 75-square-meter cell. She said the cramped conditions create tensions among prisoners.
“We hear that there is not even enough money to pay for prisoners’ meals.”
Frederique Baele
What is driving overcrowding and the crisis at Leuven Auxiliary prison?
Overcrowding is putting heavy pressure on staff and prison facilities.
“At first, the talks went well,”
says Bale.
“We were hoping for quotas, but other prisons are also overcrowded. In Brussels, they’re also at their wits’ end, I fear an implosion of the entire prison system “
The ACV-OD Justice union is urging the government to act immediately to address the crisis at Leuven’s auxiliary prison. Union chair Frederique Baele said the situation is critical.
“It’s five past twelve,”
she said.
“The government needs to announce emergency measures. Staff tell us there is not even enough money to provide prisoners’ meals. Is that the next step? This is a ticking time bomb.”
The union has announced a strike day on November 7, 2025. Baele said that if the government does not respond, further measures will follow.
“Staff and prisoners are at their wits’ end,”
she said.
The director of the auxiliary prison is currently unavailable for comment. During a previous protest, he expressed understanding for the concerns of staff and union representatives.
“The problem has been raised for so long, it can’t continue like this,”
he said at the time.
BelgiumBelgium’s prison system has been facing overcrowding for years. As of June 24, 2025, there were 13,118 inmates in facilities built for only 11,040 places, with around 320 prisoners forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) reported in November 2021 that chronic overcrowding and staff shortages in Belgian prisons are major issues.
