J’accuse: Alarm over Inhumane Conditions in Belgian Prisons

Overcrowding in Belgian prisons has reached a historic low point. Today, 672 detainees are forced to sleep on the floor, often in cells that were never designed to hold more than one person. According to the secular humanist umbrella organization deMens.nu and its member organizations, the situation is untenable and fundamental human rights are being violated on a daily basis.

In a forceful appeal, they denounce a system that has reduced prisons to places of dehumanization. Three people in a cell built for one, mattresses on the floor, and the complete lack of privacy turn detention into something more than punishment, it becomes humiliation. Structural overcrowding also suffocates all forms of support: psychological care, reintegration efforts, and any sense of hope are pushed aside.

The authors warn that societal indifference is particularly dangerous. More than 99 percent of detainees will eventually return to society. Locking people up for years in traumatizing conditions and then releasing them without support not only deepens individual suffering but also increases risks for society as a whole. The way a country treats its prisoners, they argue, is a measure of its level of civilization and on that front, Belgium is currently failing.

The lack of aftercare at the end of a prison sentence is also strongly criticized. Many former detainees are released without housing, guidance, or prospects for the future. This undermines any real chance of recovery and reintegration, even though these are essential for a safe and just society.

With this public indictment, the signatories, representatives from the secular humanist movement, the legal sector, and moral support services, aim to break the silence. Looking away, they state, makes one complicit. The message is clear: the limit has been reached, and urgent structural change is needed, not only for prisoners, but for society as a whole.

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