Prisons will nevertheless refuse 4,000 convicts who sent angry magistrates to the cell: « Incomprehensible that they wanted to take this action »

The Public Prosecution Service’s College – say: the public prosecutor’s office – announced on Wednesday that in the coming days they would send 4,000 convicts to the overcrowded prisons in one movement. At the request of Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), those convicts were waiting at home for a place to be released because the prisons are overcrowded.

The magistrates are angry because the federal government still wants to save on justiceand this time also wants to cut in their pensions.

But according to the prison staff Is this protest action « apart from all the sense of reality ». According to trade unionist Robby de Kaey, the decision is dramatic for the prisoners and the staff. After all, there is no room for 4,000 people in the prisons.

« This will endanger the safety of our staff. We regret that our people will be victims of this, » also responded to the top of the prison system on Wednesday.

Bart De Wever

The prison system is also surprised that the magistrates will also be received on Tuesday by pension minister Jan Jambon (N-VA). « It is incomprehensible to us that a letter to the prime minister about the acute problems of the overpopulation in the prisons did not bring a conversation, » says spokeswoman Kathleen van de Vijver. In a letter they asked Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) a month ago to discuss the crisis in the prisons. There was no invitation.

Read too. « Evil because the government is murdering their pension: magistrates send 4,000 convicts to overcrowded prisons in one go »

« Only Our Minister of Justice is to date showing some involvement in this struggle. Against this background, it is all the more striking that there is an immediate consultation with the competent minister about the pensions of magistrates. This rapid reaction is in stark contrast to the absence of any action with regard to the many calls from the field of prison. »

« This quick response is in stark contrast to the absence of any action with regard to the many calls from the professional field regarding the prison trisis »

Kathleen van de Vijver

Prison

Sent back home

The 4,000 convicts who will soon show up with an invitation in hand in the prison gates will be sent back home. « There is a ministerial directive that determines that, » says Van de Vijver. « The Public Prosecution Service is now ignoring that. But that directive has not been withdrawn, so we will continue to follow them. It is incomprehensible that the magistrates wanted to proceed with this action. »

The ministerial directive still applies until 6 June. Until then, the short -term stuff will be refused. In practice, it will be about all 4,000 convicts, since those who received more than three years in prison will already be admitted to prison.