Overbevolking in gevangenissen leidt nu zelfs al tot gedetineerdenstop
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Omwille van de steeds maar erger wordende overbevolking weigeren de gevangenissen nog gedetineerden op te sluiten. Op 14 maart dreigt bovendien een staking van het personeel. “Volgens de vakbonden leidt de regeringsbeslissing om ook de korte straffen uit te voeren tot onhoudbare toestanden”, zegt Vlaams Belang-Kamerlid Marijke Dillen. “Maar zonder uitvoering hebben straffen geen zin. De regering weigert de overbevolking echt aan te pakken en daar wringt het schoentje.”
De penitentiaire instellingen kampen sinds jaar en dag met overbevolking, en het probleem wordt er alleen maar erger op. Vandaag is er met 12.316 gevangenen voor 10.736 plaatsen een overbevolking van 15 procent. Het maakt dat er nog steeds 250 mensen op de grond moeten slapen. “Voormalig minister van Justitie Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) mocht destijds dan wel aankondigen dat er voor kortgestraften detentiehuizen zouden komen”, herinnert Dillen zich, “maar daar is nog niet veel van in huis gekomen. Slechts twee van de vijftien beloofde instellingen zijn operationeel. Samen goed voor amper honderd plaatsen.”
“Criminele vreemdelingen repatriëren naar hun herkomstlanden”
De overbevolking loopt dermate de spuigaten uit dat de gevangenissen van Brugge, Mechelen, Turnhout en Leuven Hulp ondertussen weigeren om nog nieuwe gedetineerden op te vangen. “De toestand is volkomen onhoudbaar geworden”, aldus het Kamerlid. “Het teveel aan gedetineerden op een veel te kleine plaats werkt enkel agressie en geweld in de hand. Zowel onderling als naar de cipiers toe. En met de regelmaat van een klok moeten we in de media vernemen hoe het personeel hiervan het slachtoffer wordt.”
“De oplossing ligt uiteraard niet in beslissingen die de algemene veiligheid hypothekeren zoals het promoten van enkelbandjes of het eenvoudigweg niet uitvoeren van straffen”, besluit Dillen. “Het Vlaams Belang reikte al meermaals de enige echte oplossing aan: de overbevolking beëindigen door criminele vreemdelingen te repatriëren naar hun herkomstlanden. Meer dan 40 procent van de gedetineerden bezit immers geen Belgische nationaliteit en 30 procent is hier zelfs illegaal.”