Belgium has one of the highest prison suicides in Europe

With a rate of 11.6 suicides for 10,000 detainees in 2023, Belgium exceeds the European median by more than 25 %. This figure, drawn from data from the Council of Europe, places Belgian prisons among the deadliest on the continent for imprisoned people. An alarming observation relayed this Tuesday by the Central Penitentiary Supervisory Council (CCSP) and the Federal Institute for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (IFDH), which point to serious systemic gaps.

Access to psychiatric care

The first problem raised is that of access to psychiatric care. If efforts have been made in recent years, such as the recruitment of psychologists or access to health insurance for prisoners, the effective presence of psychiatrists remains almost nonexistent in certain establishments. According to WHO figures, Belgium had only 0.2 psychiatrist available in 2020 for 1,000 prisoners, against a European average of 1.3.

Depue prison personnel

Penitentiary staff, often insufficiently trained, find themselves helpless in the face of crisis situations. Measures deemed “disproportionate”, such as the use of bare cells, pieces without furniture used in the event of a psychic crisis, or the excessive recourse to handcuffs, remain practiced. So many practices that the two institutions describe contrary to human dignity and ineffective in terms of prevention of suicide.

Internal appeal procedures are struggling to produce effects

Internal appeal procedures, on the other hand, are struggling to produce effects. Few complaints for ill -treatment lead to investigations or sanctions. This deficit of responsibility contributes to a culture of impunity, estimate the CCSP and IFDH.

In a report addressed to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the two institutions call for concrete reforms: systematize the presence of psychiatrists, abandon the use of naked cells, and train prison agents in suicide prevention and human rights.