Belgium
55 judges and prosecutors voluntarily in prison
Look out instead of just looking in: In Belgium, judges and public prosecutors have voluntarily allowed themselves to be locked up in prison. photo
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
A day and a half behind bars: Belgian judges and public prosecutors start a bizarre experiment in order to be able to better assess how a new prison works and the everyday life of the inmates.
55 judges and prosecutors have voluntarily allowed themselves to be imprisoned in a new prison near Brussels. “On the one hand, the prison staff can prepare for the actual opening of the prison, and on the other hand, the judges and prosecutors get an insight into the everyday life of the prisoners and how a prison works,” the Belgian news agency Belga quoted Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne as saying. “This will no doubt help them assess whether deprivation of liberty is the best solution for a person who has made a mistake.”
The Belgian judges and prosecutors were locked up for a day and a half on Saturday morning – on a voluntary basis. They would be treated like normal prisoners, Belga reported, citing the Ministry of Justice. For example, they are not allowed to use their cell phones. Among other things, they would have to work in the kitchen and in the laundry, but they would also be allowed to receive family visits. At 10pm the lights would be turned off. The prison in Haren, a municipality of the capital Brussels, is scheduled to open on September 30. It offers space for almost 1200 inmates.
According to Belga, the complex in Haren is a kind of prison village. It contains smaller buildings and residential units, each with around 30 spaces. In this way, the inmates should be accommodated according to their profile and age.