Belgium Considers Renting Prisons Abroad
Nivelles Prison, Belgium. X/ @jassogne
February 4, 2025 Hour: 8:39 am
The right-wing government’s plan is inspired by a decision made by Denmark to rent 300 prison spots in Kosovo.
The new Belgian coalition government, led by the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), has committed to reducing the country’s chronic prison overcrowding and is considering renting or building prisons abroad to achieve this goal.
RELATED:
El Salvador to Receive U.S. Dangerous Criminals and Deported Migrants
The government’s designated leader, N-VA head and future Prime Minister Bart De Wever, has successfully formed the “Arizona” coalition, which includes Francophone liberal and centrist parties, as well as Flemish Christian Democrats and socialists.
According to the coalition’s agreement notes, the government aims to find innovative solutions to Belgium’s inmate overcrowding, which, as of January 14, 2025, had reached a record 13,400 prisoners for just 11,020 available spots, according to public broadcaster RTBF.
“We are seeking to establish agreements, similar to Denmark, with other European states governed by the rule of law to build or rent prisons where undocumented detainees who have been definitively convicted of crimes or offenses can serve all or part of their prison sentences if transfer is neither possible nor desirable,” the coalition agreement states.
This plan is a response to the pressure on Belgium’s 38 prisons. It is not a new idea, as Belgium previously rented prison cells in the Netherlands 15 years ago. At the time, the Belgian government paid €60,000 per cell annually while attempting to address the issue by constructing more facilities.
A budget of €300 million was allocated, and 650 prison spots were rented for “voluntary” inmates in the final phase of their sentences. However, the initiative faced strong criticism, the agreement ended in 2016, and the underlying problem remains unresolved 15 years later.
Overcrowding and strikes are persistent issues in Belgium’s prisons, which have been repeatedly condemned by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for poor conditions and publicly criticized by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
The new government’s plan is inspired by a decision made by the Danish Parliament in May 2024 to rent 300 prison spots in Kosovo, a strategy also considered by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands for Estonia. This news comes shortly after the government of El Salvador offered to house inmates currently held in the United States for Donald Trump.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE