Brussels has an opportunity to transform its derelict prisons into public spaces that promote learning, compassion and social dialogue. But financial constraints might suffocate the ambitious project before it has the chance to take a breath.
Anyone familiar with the Saint-Gilles and Forest municipalities will have come across two striking prison facilities, the panopticon of Saint-Gilles prison and the red-brick Forest prison just behind.
Both were supposed to close down in 2022 partly because both were deemed unfit for use. However, there are still at least 900 prisoners residing in Saint-Gilles prison. It is almost at double capacity with severe overcrowding issues, and prisoners are reportedly living amid rats, mould and bedbugs.
Forest prison, on the other hand, is now vacant. 9m2 is a non-profit organisation that advocates for human rights in detention and has been calling for the space to be transformed into a public learning space since its closure.
Forest prison. Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
By transforming two of four of the wings into a museum and a research centre, the non-profit organisation hopes to generate "public debate" about the reality of incarceration, the facility's architectural history and the social issues linked to detention in Belgium.
Looking abroad
The conversion of former prisons into learning spaces is not a new phenomenon. The Jacques-Cartier prison in Rennes, France closed in 2010 but was purchased by local authorities for €550,000 in 2021. It has since become the site of a "cultural and civic centre" based on a "participatory approach" between academic researchers, citizens and former prisoners.
So far, the collaborative process between these groups has produced on-site workshops, historical research projects, heritage days and guided visits by both historians and former detainees. "The combination of personal reflections and historical framing was a very enriching experience," according to Fanny Le Bonhomme, historian at Poitiers University.
Students visit Jacques-Cartier prison on heritage day in 2023. Credit: Rennes / Anne-Cécile Estève
Opportunity for empathy
A similar approach in Brussels could help to sow empathy and understanding for a dire human rights situation in the country's detention facilities. Belgian prisons are mired in crisis, with a Council of Europe resolution in December condemning the "clear insufficiency of the measures taken" to resolve over 12 years of structural issues.
Understaffing has also contributed to a bleak living and working situation, and prison employees across Belgium are constantly on strike. "I am convinced that everyone who is working inside the prison system wants to do good but there just aren't enough staff to make this possible," VUB fellow and prison specialist Dorien Brosens told The Brussels Times last year.
The longstanding crisis has been normalised in Belgian discourse, with Council of Europe rulings ignored alongside other condemnations for breaching international law.
Transforming a former prison into a site of learning could serve to raise awareness across the board. Back in Rennes, former prisoners even brought their own families to visit the facilities they were once locked up in, as a way to explain their past.
Reimagining the future of Forest prison. Credit: The Brussels Times
9m2 may be the most vocal actor regarding the future of Forest but it is far from the only one with an opinion. The space may end up a blend of public and private initiatives, according to the governmental architectural body BMA.
In addition, there may be more pressing public needs to address, according to Saint-Gilles and Forest urbanism councillors Alain Mugabo and Catherine Morenville (Ecolo). The prison could be converted into multiple projects such as social housing, crèches, green spaces and schools.
The Flemish socialist party Vooruit has also proposed the creation of an "open urban district" once both Saint-Gilles and Forest prisons are closed. Its 'Quartier ConneXion' project envisions a public space with artist studios, sports grounds, an open-air theatre and housing for people working in essential roles, such as nurses, firefighters and teachers.
Brussels prisons reimagined as a 'lively district'. Credit: Vooruit.Brussels
Uncertain future
These initiatives are extremely uncertain due to what officials call a "complicated budgetary situation". Forest prison is owned by the Régie des Bâtiments, Belgium's federal property manager, who has been trying to sell the site to the Brussels-Capital Region. The latter cannot afford the €50,000 asking price, and the prison risks being sold to private buyers.
For Manuel Lambert, legal expert at 9m2, "privatisation could have harmful effects, not only in terms of respect for heritage, but also in terms of the right to housing, education and health." The grounds must be used to address housing and healthcare shortages and soil should not be artificialised.
Lambert argues that Forest prison is "steeped in history and suffering" and the "commercial nature" of private projects may prevent the public from understanding the human rights implications of detention in Belgium.
As the facility languishes in limbo, 9m2 is determined to gain access in order to set up a temporary exhibition. It is hoped that a successful project will have a stab at becoming something more permanent. For now, human rights abuses in Saint-Gilles prison continue and Forest prison remains vacant.
