A hundred prisoners found out this week that they were set to be freed earlier than expected from their prison sentences, not in the UK, but in Belgium.
The Belgian Ministry of Justice has decided, as Labour did in its first weeks in power, that the measures were necessary to combat prison overcrowding.
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, 600 people have already been released since the beginning of the year, all of whom had less than six months left to serve.
A spokesperson for the prison administration, Kathleen Van De Vijver said: “The prison administration has decided to extend the measure of prolonged prison leave as an emergency measure in the fight against overcrowding.”
As in Britain, prisoners will only be released if they have a place to go and criminals convicted of certain crimes such as sex offenders, would not be eligible for the scheme.
A report into the Belgium Prison service released this week highlighted many problems that would be familiar to their British counterparts.
2023 saw the rates of imprisonment rise across the country with prison populations peaking in March 2024.
Authorities, who estimated that the prison population was 13 percent above capacity, found on visits that “many prisoners had to spend the night sleeping on a mattress on the floor”, with 216 found to be sleeping in these conditions in December.
The report also highlighted that some penitentiary services fall short of the required number of officers needed for basic services, a problem that has led to several instances of strike action.
The report highlighted that fewer, shorter and less impactful strikes have taken place since a law was introduced that enabled authorities to requisition staff if a strike lasted over 48 hours.
Strike action is becoming increasingly difficult to manage as the prisons exceed capacity.
The president of the Council who produced the report, Marc Nève said: “I call on political leaders to act promptly as the consequences of inaction could be disastrous for prisoners and society as a whole.”
The report’s suggestions included a broader application of alternative sentences, identifying that those serving two years or less were one of the main causes of overpopulation.
Outgoing Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt praised the “undeniable quality” of the report but regretted its focus on certain negatives, in particular, the issue of maintaining social relationships and the reclassification of prisoners.
Noting the report’s “very negative” view on prison strikes, the Justice Minister acknowledged that improvements were needed.
However, he was quick to highlight that minimum service now receives increased attention and that it is “exceptional” for industrial action to last over 48 hours.
