Of all the situations a person could end up in, prison is designed to be the harshest – an environment that actively removes an individual from their social milieu and strips them of liberties enjoyed by ordinary citizens. Though precarity abounds and much must be done to improve the prospects of society's most impoverished, no other space intentionally deprives people of the comfort and security that most of modern life is focused towards.
Though some progressive Scandinavian states emphasise rehabilitation and do a laudable job of integrating inmates with the civil community, these are outliers. Many prisons are still based on dated penal concepts that prioritise surveillance (think Bentham's panopticon) or outright pain (images of El Salvador's new "mega-prison" looked especially hellish).
The situation in Belgium is fairly deplorable, with prisons among the most densely populated in Europe. Furthermore, the country's penitentiaries are chronically under-staffed, leading to a chaotic state of affairs that has provoked strikes and sometimes stand-offs between employees and convicts.
In an effort to address the issue, new incarceration centres are being constructed, though not to standards that civil organisations find acceptable. Could a new "humane" prison be the answer?
The facility, about an hour northwest of Brussels, aims to provide an alternative to the dilapidated edifices that are still in use – the Saint Gilles Prison looks more like a shabby fortress than a functioning reformatory. The new site in Dendermonde does away with many archetypal trappings of your classic clink: gone are the barred windows and features include inner gardens and even solar panels.
And to test that everything is working as it should, a "dry run" has been organised with 100 students voluntarily spending 24 hours in the centre. The drill will give staff a chance to make sure that inmate-management systems are operating correctly; for the students it's sure to be a memorable experience.
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1. More trams and buses in Brussels from Monday
An improved provision of Brussels public transport will reduce waiting times on several trams and bus lines in the Capital Region from Monday 6 March. Read more.
2. One hundred students test new Dendermonde prison
A new "humane" prison that was completed at the end of last year will have its official opening in the coming weeks. Before inmates are relocated to the site in Dendermonde, security procedures will be tested by young people in the "Defence and Security" work-study programme on Tuesday. Read more.
3. Fedasil looks to canal boats to house refugees
Fedasil is urgently seeking additional reception places for asylum seekers and wants to house them on canal boats in Belgian ports, as stated in a letter sent by State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor to port authorities. Read more.
4. Emilia Chini (75) found dead in woods six days after going missing
Emilia 'Emilietta' Chini, the 75-year-old woman with dementia who went missing from her home in Maasmechelen, Limburg last Wednesday, was found dead during a search in nearby woods. Read more.
5. Woluwe-Saint-Pierre the most expensive place to rent in Brussels
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre has been named the most expensive place to rent in Brussels, while Jette is the municipality with the cheapest rental accommodation in the Capital Region, according to data released on Monday by Federia, the Federation of French-speaking Real Estate Agents in Belgium. Read more.
6. One shared car 'replaces ten private cars' in Flanders
Each shared car in circulation in Flanders takes between three to ten private cars off the street, according to statistics published by the car-sharing non-profit Autodelen.net. A study conducted by the group highlights a positive dynamic in car-sharing services, which grew by 40% in popularity last year. Read more.
7. Today in History: Death of Belgian poet and playwright Liliane Wouters
On this day, 28 February 2016, the famous Belgian poet and playwright Liliane Wouters died at the age of 86 in the Brussels municipality of Ixelles, where she spent most of her life. Read more.
