The prison cell complex beneath Brussels' Palais de Justice at Place Poelart has seen a recent halving in the number of available cells.
Now capable of holding up to 50 prisoners at a time compared to the previous 100, the uninhabitability of the cells poses a plethora of problems for the justice system in the city.
The cell complex that has acted as a temporary holding space for those awaiting trial at the Brussels Courthouse has been falling into disrepair in recent years noted La Libre. This has made half of the cells uninhabitable.
Prisoners have been held in pairs in the cells leading up to their hearings for over a century. However, this is no longer possible due to the lack of capacity.
Spaces only free up when a prisoner is sentenced, rendering the system ineffective as hundreds of prisoners are scheduled to appear in the court on a daily basis, with many travelling long distances to face trial. Occasionally detainees are released due to lack of capacity to hold them.
The Brussels courtroom has been facing problems including delays of over an hour for case hearings, an issue undoubtedly exacerbated by the dilapidated state of the cells and lack of space to hold prisoners.
Marie Dupont, President of the French-speaking branch of the Brussels Bar expressed that structural underfunding, lack of consideration for stakeholders, and governments unaware of the issues have an effect on the justice system.
On top of dilapidated buildings, this underfunding is clear in areas of staff overworking, understaffing, unpaid overtime, and improper working conditions.
