2023-11-12 23:00:00
The first two detention centers will open in Wallonia. They will be located in Liège and Jemeppe-sur-Sambre (province of Namur). In Liège, the former Espace Belvaux youth hostel, in the Grivegnée entity, will be transformed into a detention center that can accommodate 60 people. The building will be adapted and enlarged.
Belvaux space.
In Jemeppe-sur-Sambre, a detention center that can accommodate 40 people will be installed on the site of the former gendarmerie barracks, in Moustier-sur-Sambre, in rue de la Gendarmerie. The current buildings will be demolished in spring 2024 with the aim of then beginning construction.
In both cases, local residents will soon receive a brochure with more explanations about the detention center and an invitation to an information evening. November 21 at the Espace Belvaux in Grivegnée for the Liège project and November 22 at the Gabrielle Bernard Cultural Center in Moustier-sur-Sambre for the Namur project.
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After the detention centers already active in Courtrai and Forest and the other projects underway in Flanders (Genk, Antwerp, Ninove, Zelzate, Olen), Liège and Jemeppe-sur-Sambre will therefore be the first detention centers in Wallonia. Which will make nine in total. Remember that the ambition was to create fifteen during this legislature.
Take back control
These detention centers were the wish of the former Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne in order to receive people serving short sentences. Only those sentenced to less than three years in prison, presenting a low risk profile and motivated to take control of their lives are considered for entry into a detention center. Individuals convicted of terrorism or sexual offenses are not allowed to reside there. Those who behave badly must return to an ordinary prison to serve the remainder of their sentence, “Team Justice” tells us in a press release.
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Just like in a regular prison, no one can come and go as they please. Inside the walls, the regime in a detention center is much more focused on accountability and reintegration than in a traditional prison. “It is no longer a question of talking about detainees but about residents,” explains the spokesperson for the new Minister of Justice, Paul Van Tigchelt. The emphasis is placed on autonomy, learning to live together, acquiring a daily structure, following training, looking for a job and finding accommodation. Residents carry out household chores together, such as cooking, cleaning and laundry. Detention counselors help them. From day one, they are prepared for a life without relapse into delinquency. The staff consists of management and an administrative team, social workers, psychologists and detention counselors.
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“These new detention centers will be built with prefabricated units so that the deployment of the network of detention centers can be done quickly and efficiently. This approach works,” explains Paul Van Tigchelt.
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