Ypres (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – At Ypres Prison, overcrowding forces 12 inmates to sleep on the floor. Staff and management, led by Bea Schmidts, staged a 1-hour strike to protest unsafe conditions and rising inmate numbers.
As VRT News reported, at Ypres Prison, management and staff have gone on strike to protest overcrowding. The prison is facing severe pressure as the number of inmates continues to rise. Currently, 12 prisoners are sleeping on the floor because there are not enough beds.
Pieter-Jan, one of the inmates, said he was in a cell with 2 people but was moved to a cell with 3.
“I’m now sleeping on the floor. It’s difficult, but what can I do? It does sometimes cause tension with my cellmates,”
he explained.
“That’s a situation that’s really no longer sustainable,”
says Bea Schmidts of Ypres Prison.
“Not for the staff and certainly not for the inmates. This way, they can’t work on their integration into society.”
What is driving staff and inmates to strike at Ypres prison?
Authorities report that the total number of inmates is higher than before. Overcrowding is creating difficult conditions for both prisoners and staff. Immediate measures are needed to reduce the pressure. At the same time, officials stress that long-term solutions must be developed.
Schmidts pointed out that it is unusual for both prison staff and management to strike at the same time.
“We do not want a major strike, but we are symbolically stopping work for one hour,”
he said.
“This is a way to send out a cry for help. The situation cannot continue like this any longer.”
He also stressed the legal obligations regarding inmate care.
“Every detainee is required to sleep in a bed,”
Schmidts explained.
“In 2021, the Commission Against Torture already confronted us with this problem. Every prisoner has the right to their own bed. Yet, four years later, we still have not succeeded in resolving this issue.”
Ypres Prison has been at the centre of ongoing concerns about overcrowding and detainee conditions. In 2021, the UN Committee Against Torture highlighted issues such as overcrowding and inadequate detention conditions in Belgian prisons, including Ypres. Despite efforts to address these problems, such as renovations completed in late 2023 to increase capacity and improve living conditions, the prison continues to face challenges.
