NCJ Number
140980
Date Published
Unknown
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The article examines current trends in Belgian correctional policy and suggests improvements.
Abstract
In the course of the 20th century, the administrators of Belgian prisons have adhered to a consistent policy which has resulted in real improvements in inmate lives: written guarantees of prisoners rights, educational and vocational programs in the prisons, treatment programs, and short-term prison releases. However, these achievements are jeopardized and undermined by the relentless growth of the Belgian prison population. This prison overcrowding is caused in part by the over-reliance on incarceration on the part of public policy makers and public opinion. Since the construction of additional prisons is impractical and economically unfeasible, the author suggests a change in policy which would reduce overcrowding by keeping the following offenders out of the prison system: military deserters, inmates who were unable to pay a fine, foreigners, vagabonds, inmates under preventive detention, and juveniles. 38 references