Council of Europe criticises Belgium: “The situation in prisons is deteriorating”

Brussels – Belgium has a growing problem with its prisons: the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) highlights “the worsening overcrowding, violence and service provision” in the country’s detention facilities, home to the capital of the European Union. The report, which confirms an issue that has already arisen, follows a visit conducted from 15 to 26 May 2025 to five prisons in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia, and to the forensic psychiatric centres in Antwerp and Ghent.​

 Specifically, Alan Mitchell, chair of the Anti-Torture Committee, reports that “in the 14 months since the CPT’s last visit, the prison population has risen by nearly 4 per cent and the number of people sleeping on a mattress on the floor has more than doubled.” This is “despite measures to tackle prison overcrowding in Belgium,” which demonstrate the ineffectiveness of these commitments.  According to Mitchell, “the deteriorating prison conditions in Belgium not only might expose people in prison to inhuman and degrading treatment but they also risk undermining the wider criminal-justice system.” Furthermore, it emerges that “many” prisoners have less than 4 square metres of personal space. 

Among the critical issues within the Belgian prison system, the Council of Europe highlights that “given the understaffing, the legally required minimum service65 was rarely guaranteed” during days of industrial action and was “often” unattainable even under normal conditions. Consequently, “prisoners were frequently confronted with waiting times and cancellations…as
a result, prisoners were not consistently able to attend medical consultations, court hearings or
participate in activities.”