Belgian Prisons Research Articles

An in-depth study on the meaning of sport for the social reintegration of (formerly) incarcerated people

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to explore how sports contribute to the social reintegration of (formerly) incarcerated individuals. The focus lays on the perspectives of participants in sports activities in a Belgian prison. The research utilized participatory observations and semi-structured interviews spanning eighteen months. The data were processed through a thematic analysis by using the Capability Approach as a theoretical lens. The findings reveal how participants attribute meaning and crucial factors to sports, viewing it as essential for fostering aspirations, hope, and establishing connections with other aspects of life. The ‘Going for Goals’ sports programme, therefore, plays a key role in shaping a realistic and positive outlook on their future and life after detention.

Victimization in Prison. A Study of Victimization and Prison Climate Dimensions in Belgian Prisons

ABSTRACT Prisoner victimization introduces significant challenges to penal institutions worldwide. Researchers across the globe already provided extensive knowledge on risk factors from community crime theories for prison victimization. Other scholars are focusing on prison climate. The present study contributes to previous works by exploring both the role of community crime theory (individual, prisoner related) risk factors and prison climate dimensions in explaining prisoner victimization in Belgium. Three climate dimensions – relationships, safety and autonomy – were analyzed. Specifically, the study examined a sample of 1,006 prisoners using bivariate and multivariate regression analyses. The multivariate results showed that prison climate dimensions significantly contribute to explaining prisoner victimization, in addition to the other risk factors. These findings suggest that deprivation and strain theories remain relevant for understanding prison violence. Future researchers should study other prison climate dimensions, as well as environmental characteristics that may facilitate victimization. This paper also highlights the importance of investments in prison climate, such as dynamic security through relationships, in addition to hard security.

A mixed methods study about health problems and drug use in Belgian prisons during 2021-2022

Abstract Negative effects of imprisonment on quality of health and drug use are well known. Although the interference between social- psychological- and physical aspects of health seem obvious, in many prison settings an overall approach with respect to drug use is lacking. A mixed methods study collected data during 2021-2022 in five Belgian prisons. People in prison were randomly invited for a quantitative survey about drug use, violence, social contacts, loneliness, anxiety, depression and sleep. The survey was carried out in 13 languages using tablets. In total, 280 responses were analysed. Next, respondents of the survey that used illicit drugs were invited for an in-depth interview about personal insights on support needs of drug use and social-, physical- and emotional well-being (N = 38). Besides, persons released less than 1 year ago and who used illicit drugs (N = 12) were interviewed. Drug use and symptoms of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, loneliness, suicidal attempts and violence are 2 to 8 times higher in prison compared to community. Drug use inside prison was more prevalent (p < 0.05) among people with a prison history. Respondents also mentioned the negative influence of drug use on physical, social and emotional health. Severe depression symptoms and the occurrence of suicide attempts were more reported among people who used drugs in prison in the past month. Although most respondents indicated having received visits during the past month, lack of social contacts and dependence on others were strongly present during the interviews. The results suggest that the prison context affects the interconnection of biopsychosocial health aspects as a whole to such an extent that the likelihood of drug use increases. This finding is essential to address the needs of people in prison in a more holistic way. Enlarging this scope in prison policy and more specific treatment initiatives enables increasing equity in care and will improve both security and health outcomes. Key messages • The results support an expansion of treatment initiatives that have been already implemented but in which the interconnection of the biopsychosocial health aspects with drug-use should be integrated. • This study supports the idea to develop a more holistic prison policy by adding drug use, physical, social and mental health to the main concern of security.

Individual and environmental contributors to psychological distress during imprisonment

People in prison bear a higher burden of psychiatric morbidity compared with the general population. This study examined the extent to which individual and environmental factors contribute to poor mental health during imprisonment. Participants comprised 1296 randomly selected adults in 15 Belgian prisons. Psychological distress was more common in women than men and peaked during the early stages of imprisonment. In addition to having a history of mental disorder, low levels of perceived autonomy, safety, and social support were independently associated with experiencing distress. These findings underscore the importance of considering the prison environment in policies to improve the mental health of incarcerated individuals.

Greece: Political Developments and Data in 2022

AbstractThe year 2022 was marked by the onset of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In February, the Greek government was quick to respond in support of the Ukrainian people defending their homeland. The city of Mariupol, home to a significant Greek diasporic community, was at the epicenter of the public's attention. Energy prices skyrocketed because of the war. Inflation, which was already at 5 per cent—the highest point in a decade—by the end of 2021, continued to soar reaching 12 per cent in the summer and an overall 7.2 per cent by the end of the year. Gross domestic product per capita increased at a faster rate than expected, but the trade deficit of the country also increased dramatically. The government continued to deal with the devastating impact of the pandemic. In May, Prime Minister (PM) Mitsotakis became the first Greek head of government to address a joint session of the US Congress at a time when Greek–Turkish relations deteriorated. In July, a wiretapping scandal targeting one of the opposition leaders, but also journalists, shook the political system and unseated the head of the National Intelligence Service, as well as the PM's general secretary, who was overseeing the agency. In December, Member of the European Parliament Eva Kaili was arrested and jailed in a Belgian prison as part of the so‐called Qatargate scandal. The ruling party, New Democracy, remained hegemonic. The main opposition party, the Coalition of the Radical Left, SYRIZA, continued to struggle. Finally, a staggering number of femicides occurred in 2022, 16 in total.

Separate units for incarcerated people who committed sexual offenses: luxury or necessity?

The policy on treatment of people who commit sexual offenses (PSOs) varies greatly across countries, creating different treatment environments. This study was conducted in Flanders (i.e., the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) where PSOs receive their treatment in the community. Before this transfer takes place, many PSOs spend time inside prison together with other offenders. This raises the question to what extent PSOs are safe in prison and whether this period would benefit from an integrated therapeutic program. This qualitative research study focuses on the possibility of separate housing for PSOs by examining the current experiences of incarcerated PSOs and contextualizing those with the professional experience of national and international experts in the field. Between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, 22 semi-structured interviews and six focus groups took place. Participants were comprised of 9 imprisoned PSOs, 7 international experts on prison-based PSO treatment, 6 prison officer supervisors, 2 prison management delegates, 21 healthcare workers (both inside and outside prison), 6 prison policy coordinators, and 10 psychosocial service staff members. Nearly all interviewed PSOs reported suffering at the hands of fellow inmates or prison staff because of the nature of their offenses, varying from exclusion and bullying to physical violence. These experiences were corroborated by the Flemish professionals. Consistent with scientific research, the international experts all reported working with incarcerated PSOs who reside in living units separate from other offenders and the therapeutic benefits to this approach. Despite this growing evidence, the Flemish professionals remained reluctant to implement separate living units for PSOs in prisons because of the perceived risk of increased cognitive distortions and further isolation of this already stigmatized group. The Belgian prison system is not currently organized to create separate living units for PSOs, which has important ramifications for the safety and therapeutic opportunities of these vulnerable prisoners. International experts emphasize a clear benefit for introducing separate living units where a therapeutic environment can be created. Although this would have significant organizational and policy-oriented implications, it would be useful to explore whether these practices could be implemented in Belgian prisons as well.

Dignity, Social Reintegration of Prisoners, and the New Penal Power: European Human Rights, Experiences of Belgian Prisoners, and Professional Practices.

Over the last 30 years, prisoners' dignity and fundamental rights have increasingly been protected by European human rights bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This protection is aimed particularly at the traditional power relations between prisoners and uniformed staff. More recently, social reintegration of prisoners has also been recognized by these European human rights standards as a fundamental element of human dignity and an equally important aim of imprisonment as retribution and deterrence. However, it is also accepted that some offenders may be too dangerous to be returned back to society. Psychiatric/psychological assessments are a major element in this decision-making. This "new penal power" receives much less attention in human rights protection. This article compares three intertwining perspectives on this issue: the European human rights perspective on dignity and social reintegration; the experiences and mental suffering of Belgian prisoners who find themselves being stuck in prison as a result of structural problems in the risk assessment and risk management practices; and the professional perspective on how professional standards and good practices based on scientific insights might alleviate some of these threats to human dignity.

The Development of Prison Officers’ Job Satisfaction and its Impact on Depersonalization of Incarcerated Persons: The Role of Organizational Dehumanization

This article contributes to the literature on the antecedents and consequences of prison officers’ job satisfaction. First, we argue that organizational dehumanization (i.e., employees’ perceptions of being treated as tools by their organization) explains how work environment factors determine job satisfaction. Second, we propose that the role played by organizational dehumanization in the development of job satisfaction carries over depersonalization of incarcerated persons. The study ( N = 357 Belgian prison officers) supports the mediating role of organizational dehumanization in the relationships between four work environment factors (organizational justice, appropriateness of material resources, quality of the physical environment, and perceived organizational support compared with that of the persons who are incarcerated) and job satisfaction. In addition, the findings indicate that prison officers’ perception of being dehumanized by their prison trickles down in the development of depersonalized relationships with incarcerated persons, and this effect is mediated by prison officers’ job satisfaction.

A multicentre interventional study to assess blood-borne viral infections in Belgian prisons

BackgroundPrevalence data on viral hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV infection in prison are often scarce or outdated. There is currently no systematic screening for these blood-borne viral infections (BBV) in Belgian prisons. There is an urgency to assess the prevalence of these BBV to inform policymakers and public healthcare.MethodsThis was a multicentre, interventional study to assess the prevalence of BBV using opt-in screening in prisons across Belgium, April 2019 – March 2020. Prisoners were tested using a finger prick and BBV risk factors were assessed using a questionnaire. A generalized linear mixed model was used to investigate the association between the various risk factors and HCV.ResultsIn total, 886 prisoners from 11 Belgian prisons were screened. Study uptake ranged from 16.9 to 35.4% in long-term facilities. The prevalence of HCV antibodies (Ab), hepatitis B surface antigen (Ag) and HIV Ab/Ag was 5.0% (44/886), 0.8% (7/886), and 0.2% (2/886). The adjusted odds for HCV Ab were highest in prisoners who ever injected (p < 0.001; AOR 24.6 CI 95% (5.5–215.2). The prevalence of detectable HCV RNA in the total cohort was 2.1% (19/886). Thirteen (68.4%) prisoners were redirected for follow-up of their HCV infection.ConclusionsOpt-in testing for viral hepatitis B, C and HIV was relatively well-accepted in prisons. Compared with the general population, prisoners have a higher prevalence of infection with BBV, especially for HCV. Systematic screening for these BBV should be recommended in all prisons, preferably using opt-out to optimize screening uptake.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered at clinical trials NCT04366492 April 29, 2020.

When your child is your cellmate: The ‘maternal pains of imprisonment’ in a Belgian prison nursery

The experience of imprisonment is different for women and men: women suffer more, and they also suffer in more distinctive ways. For mothers in prison, the major pains of imprisonment are related to their motherhood status; the so-called maternal pains of imprisonment. Studies on those who have experienced motherhood in prison focus primarily on female prisoners who have been separated from their children. We explored whether women who cohabit with their child(ren) in prison also experience maternal pains of imprisonment, and how these pains are shaped. We draw upon the results of two small-scale qualitative studies conducted in a prison nursery in Belgium. Interviews with cohabiting mothers in this nursery revealed that although the mothers recognized several advantages of cohabitation, they also experienced maternal pains of imprisonment. These pains were related to witnessing and worrying about their child’s pains of imprisonment; the restriction of maternal autonomy; the overwhelming responsibility for their child; and for women with long-term sentences, worrying about the inevitable separation from their child.

SAT293 - Viral hepatitis in Belgian prisons: a first-time multicenter prevalence study

SAT293 - Viral hepatitis in Belgian prisons: a first-time multicenter prevalence study

Linkage and continuity of care after release from prison: an evaluation of central registration points for drug users in Belgium.

This paper aims to report the findings of an evaluation study concerning the Central Registration Points (CRPs) for drug users in Belgian prisons. CRPs support drug users to link with community-based services. The study applied a multi-method approach that involved an exploratory literature review; a secondary analysis of the CRPs' databases; a qualitative study of the perceptions of a diverse sample of stakeholders with regard to the functioning of CRPs; and a prospective registration study. One-third of the clients never attended an outpatient or residential substance abuse service before prison entry. This illustrates that the CRPs managed to reach clients who were not previously reached by (substance abuse) treatment services. All interviewed actors emphasized the added value of the CRPs in terms of informing, contacting, motivating and referring prisoners with a substance abuse problem. Based on the research findings, two issues seem to be of paramount importance in the successful practice of CRPs: the confidentiality and specific expertise on (substance abuse) treatment. Given the complex situation of drug users in prison, an independent positioning and categorical assistance with drug-specific expertise seem to be essential. CRPs can be considered to be one of the "building blocks" that contribute to high-quality care and continuity of care for drugs users in detention.

The Ideal of Highly Mobile Prisoners. Re-Legitimating Prison through a New Paradox

In our paper, we develop the hypothesis of a general call for high mobility and discuss the consequences of it regarding the legitimation of prison. First, we present the method we used for an analysis of the parliamentary documents of the Belgian penitentiary law. We then examine the contemporary social representations of mobility, looking for a definition of what is seen as being properly mobile, and show how intertwined social representations of space and time result in the prevalent vision of an inevitable and constant mobility. Next, we will thus discuss the importance of seeing mobility as much more than its material facet. Our following step will be to propose a formalization of the contemporary requisite for mobility. Through four imperatives (activity, activation, participation, adaptation), the mobilitarian ideal requires each person and organization to be constantly active, mobile, flexible, networking, etc. We argue that, today, we are all meant to be highly mobile. We will apply this theoretical framework to the legitimation of prison in the parliamentary documents of the 2005 Belgian Prison Act in which prison is open and porous, good inmates are described as dynamic individuals on the move, and the legitimate penitentiary system is a paradoxical mobilization system. We will conclude by discussing the need to reshape our vision of the prison, considering its apparently paradoxical relation with mobility.

Locking out emotions in locking up older prisoners? Emotional labour of Belgian prison officers and prison nurses

This contribution looks at the emotional labour of prison professionals in the wake of an increasing number of older adults populating this institution. The rationale behind this selective focus is twofold. Firstly, the topic of ageing behind bars has only received scant attention, even though this phenomenon is also increasingly penetrating prison walls. Secondly, little attention has been paid to the performance of emotional labour by practitioners in prison systems working with the specific population of ageing prisoners. Against this background, this contribution reflects on the ambivalent emotional nature of the work of not only the ‘professionals of custody’ but also of the ‘professionals of care’ in a prison setting. This topic will be examined by drawing on cross-disciplinary insights stemming from a wider range of literature and is underpinned by new data originating from an empirical ethnographic study into the meaning of imprisonment in later life in Belgium.

There and Back Again: The Selectivity of Recidivism in Belgian Prisons

AbstractThe “panoptic” powers characteristic of nineteenth-century criminal justice systems created prison sources that are increasingly used to study past populations. Each step of the criminal process has its own selection logic, leading to a predominance of unskilled and low-skilled men and women in prison samples. There are also crucial differences between the profiles of single and repeat offenders. This article employs a sample of more than 27,000 individual admissions to Belgian prisons in the nineteenth century to explore these trends in greater depth. Recidivists form a specific subset of the prison population. Detailed comparisons of recidivists and nonrecidivists are therefore useful as they help to understand the selection mechanisms inherent in prison data. Male recidivists were predominately low-waged workers incarcerated for minor acts of violence or misconduct classified as disturbances of the peace. Female recidivists were disproportionately low-skilled workers arrested for beggary and sex work. Recidivists also differed in their stature. Male recidivists in Belgian prisons were shorter than the average prisoner. By contrast, female recidivists were taller than one-time offenders. These height differences have important implications for our understanding of well-being in the past.

Differences in triage and medical confidentiality between prisons of Belgium and the Netherlands

ABSTRACT Objectives: The aim of this study is to describe the opinions of prison doctors, and to compare the primary health care in prisons between Belgium and the Netherlands. Methods: Structured interviews, audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, were conducted with prison doctors in Dutch-speaking prisons in Flanders/Belgium and in the Netherlands. Two investigators analysed the content of the interviews and discussed each individual interview. Results: In total 37 interviews were conducted in 28 prisons (14 in each country). In Belgium, 14 of 17 prison doctors, compared to 1 of 12 in the Netherlands, experienced higher time pressure during their consultations in prison, compared to their private medical work (P < 0.001). In the Netherlands, compared to Belgium, there is more access to psychiatric support (14/14 vs 11/22, P = 0.002), psychological care (13/13 vs 7/22, P < 0.001), and interpreter facilities (15/22 vs 0/14, P < 0.001). Prison doctors in both countries agree that the possibility for a strictly personal encounter with the patient – without the presence of other medical staff – can be very useful (21/22 in Belgium vs 15/15 in the Netherlands). In Belgium, individual consultations with the detainee are not possible. Conclusions: Compared to the situation in the Netherlands, the medical work of prison doctors in Belgium is characterized by time pressure and lack of psychiatric and psychological support. The absence of interpreter facilities in Belgium handicaps the quality of the primary health care in prisons. In addition, the lack of private encounters with a doctor in Belgian prisons violates the patient rights of the detainee.

Distinguishing prisoners who think about suicide from those who attempt suicide.

Many people who consider suicide do not translate these intentions into action. Although prisoners constitute a particularly high-risk group for suicide, little is known about the factors that distinguish those who think about suicide from those who attempt suicide. Participants were 1326 adult offenders (1203 men) randomly selected from 15 Belgian prisons, representing 14% of the national prison population. Multivariate regression analysis compared prisoners who attempted suicide (n = 277) with those who thought about suicide but never made an attempt (n = 312) on a range of established risk factors. Among the 589 participants reporting a lifetime history of suicidal ideation (44% of the total sample), almost half (47%) had made a suicide attempt. Relative to those who only thought about suicide, participants who attempted suicide were more likely to be violent offenders (aOR 2.33, 95% CI 1.49-3.62) and have a history of non-suicidal self-injury (aOR 3.19, 95% CI 2.09-4.86). The presence of self-reported mental disorder diagnosis (aOR = 2.84, 95% CI 1.91-4.24) and illicit substance abuse (aOR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.24-3.28) also independently differentiated prisoners who attempted v. considered suicide. This study provides preliminary evidence that behavioural and mental health factors are implicated in the transition from thoughts to acts of suicide in prisoners. Prospective studies are warranted to explore whether these risk factors predict progression from ideation to action over time.

Food refusal as a protest tool. Hunger strikes in Belgian prisons during the interwar period

In studies on resistance and protest, empirical research tends to concentrate on collective forms of action, those organised within social movements or by resistance groups. As such, research into the protest tactic of hunger strikes suffers from the same ailment. While there is ample historical study into hunger strikes by the suffragettes or the IRA, the actions of individuals without any connection to political movements have mostly been left unnoticed – although they tended to outnumber the former, especially in prisons where hunger strikes are in a way a measure of last resort. This paper investigates hunger strikes of individual detainees in Belgian prisons during the interwar period, a time of transformation in the penitentiary system and changings views on crime and the criminal. Through a critical reading of prisoner files of the prison of Forest, this study analyses the motivations of prisoners to start a hunger strike and the reactions and sanctions of the prison authorities. Findings reveal that going on a hunger strike, or simply not eating, was sufficient to label prisoners as mentally ill and transfer them into the psychiatric ward. If the prisoner could not be convinced to eat, the hunger strike was almost always terminated by forcibly feeding the detainee. As this was done to prisoners whose life was not in danger and with the brutal use of rectal feeding, I argue that force feeding was also a means to discipline detainees.

Food trust in low trust environments. Negotiating food trust in belgian prisons

This article examines how food trust is negotiated in Belgian penitentiaries. The study of food trust in prison, provides a particular context where the process can be understood in a low trust environment, and framed within a wider debate about food trust that has focused predominantly on how confidence is constructed in the context of outside society. A qualitative study, based on 60 in-depth interviews conducted with prisoners (41) and prison staff (19) and participant observations in prison kitchens, was carried out in five Belgian prisons. The findings show first, that trust in prisoners who work in the kitchen, and trust in external actors such as food control bodies or religious representatives that regularly visit the kitchens, can facilitate a negotiation of trust. Secondly, and contextually related to the above, is the importance of respecting religious and cultural norms in establishing a climate of food trust. Finally, the results additionally indicate that a lack of information, and/or incorrect information about cleanliness, at times led to food distrust.

Non-suicidal self-injury and co-occurring suicide attempt in male prisoners

High rates of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts (SA) are well documented in prisoners, however, few studies examined their co-occurrence in this high-risk population. Study participants were 1203 adult men randomly selected from 15 Belgian prisons, representing 12% of the national male prison population. Lifetime prevalence rates for NSSI and SA are 17% and 20% respectively, with half (55%) of self-injurers reporting a SA history. Bivariate analyses show that NSSI and SA are significantly related to one another, and many risk factors are common to both. Multivariate analysis comparing prisoners who engaged in NSSI with (n = 109) and without (n = 90) co-occurring SA indicates that suicidal ideation is the strongest independent correlate of SA among self-injurers. Additionally, relative to those with a history of NSSI only, prisoners with co-occurring NSSI and SA are significantly more likely to be violent offenders, being prescribed psychotropic medication, and report a psychiatric diagnosis; suggesting that they constitute a more clinically severe subgroup. Collectively, these findings highlight the marked overlap between NSSI and SA in prisoners, both in terms of prevalence and correlates, with suicidal ideation being an important predictor of suicide risk among self-injurers.