Belgium must change its prison policy, says new report

The state of Brussels’ prisons - notably overcrowding, poor staff working conditions and inadequate access to support for the inmates - are not conducive to rehabilitation, according to a new report by the Brussels Federation of Institutions for Inmates and Former Prisoners (Fidex).

The federation, which brings together some 14 associations and nearly 100 field workers, is particularly concerned about the lack of access to prisons in Brussels, particularly in Haren, the "mega-prison" near the capital. It says this has a serious impact on support provided to prisoners, particularly for their reintegration projects.

Meeting inmates at Haren prison has become a challenge for legal aid associations. “Conditions of access have deteriorated in recent months,” said William Sbrugnera, a psychologist with the Brussels Social Action Service (SASB), who said that he regularly cannot see prisoners he monitors.

“How can it be that we are refused access to visiting rooms when we can see them and they are free?” he said.

This is detrimental to the prisoners’ welfare, especially in parole applications. “I'll give you an example: I put four people on my list for a morning and I waited two hours and then I only saw one. Well, the other three have to be seen again the following week or in the two weeks that follow,” Sbrugnera added.

“All it takes is another blockage or a problem with access to the detention units or the visiting room. Once again, this pushes back the deadlines and we sometimes find ourselves in situations where I don’t see certain prisoners for two, three or four months.

“This does have a huge impact on the way we deal with prisoners and their conditions. A prisoner who wants to submit a parole application to the enforcement court must have accommodation, a job and a source of income.

"That’s the job of the social workers, who do a titanic job of trying to put all this in order. And they too are completely prevented or delayed in their work, which means deadlines are put off. Ultimately, people who could be released on parole today are still behind bars."

With this in mind, coupled with a shortage of both prison officers and resources, it is no surprise that the Fidex barometer, launched to highlight the problems in Brussels’ prisons, is showing red for Haren.

The barometer assesses several fundamental criteria: the accessibility of prisons for external services (access to visiting rooms, activity rooms and cells); working and safety conditions for staff (e.g. lack of equipment such as radios, which are often defective at Haren); the effective provision of care, social assistance, training and support services for prisoners; and the institutional recognition of the role of associations by the prison administration.

This barometer is based on a system of colours: green when everything is going well, orange when everything is not and a red light when the situation becomes critical. A few weeks after its launch, the tool was already flashing orange, and more than 40 problem situations had been identified.

“Unfortunately, this colour keeps going in the wrong direction,” said Fidex president Kris Meurant. “The accessibility of the teams that come to help people deprived of their liberty is reduced, inadequate or even prevented.

“We understand that given overcrowding, the day-to-day lives of prison management and staff are really complicated.

“On the other hand, we denounce the political decisions of recent legislatures, which have resulted in there being 13,000 prisoners in Belgium’s prisons when there is only room for 11,000.”

Meurant emphasised that the “general structural problem” with the government’s decision to “do everything in prisons” has compounded the complexity of day-to-day prison staff management.

“If there were half as many people in prison, I think that the inmates’ daily lives would be much more bearable and the associations would be able to carry out their day-to-day work,” he added.

This view is shared by the League of Human Rights, which said the “all prisons policy” was adopted against the advice of experts (associations, judges, lawyers, prison management and prison officers).

“The authorities must stop making incomprehensible and unworkable decisions and engage in constructive dialogue with the management and services on the ground,” it said.

“Prison should only be a last resort. Belgium must urgently reorient its prison policy and explore other solutions, as recommended by international bodies.

"It is time to put an end to this ineffective policy and to ensure that prisoners enjoy conditions that are dignified and conducive to rehabilitation."