Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) has proposed transferring prisoners without a residence permit to specific detention centres as a way to cope with overcrowding.
Prison overcrowding is at crisis point in every facility across Belgium, with 13,000 people incarcerated in a system designed to hold just 11,000.
Around one in three prisoners do not have a legal residence permit in Belgium. Verlinden has proposed transferring this cohort to detention centres, separate facilities intended to house people who will be repatriated to their countries of origin.
The Federal Government also wants to transfer prisoners to prisons abroad, such as in Kosovo or Albania.
"Clear agreements are currently being developed between the Prison Service and the Immigration Department to ensure the transfer of these detainees for maximum removal is as smooth and efficient as possible," Verlinden told Het Belang van Limburg.
Not a viable alternative
Detention centres currently house 515 residents, but this capacity will be expanded by over 400 additional places in the coming years, says Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt's (N-VA) office.
The Immigration Department emphasises that these centres are not an alternative to prison.
"In a detention centre, a person can only be detained for administrative purposes with a view to repatriation. This period is limited to a maximum of four months," stated spokesperson Paulien Blondeel.
