Belgium

Capital city — Brussels

Country population
11,476,279
i
01/2020
/ SPF Intérieur
Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabit…
95
i
2019
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR
Type of government
Parliamentary monarchy
Human Development Index
0.916
(17/188)
i
2017
/ UNDP
Homicide rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)
1.9
i
2017
/ PNUD
Name of authority in charge of the pris…
Ministry of Justice
The official name…
Total number of prisoners
10,883
i
12/2019
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR
Average length of imprisonment (in mont…
Data not disclosed
Prison density
121 %
Belgium is one of…
i
16/04/2021
/ DH
Total number of prison facilities
35
i
2020
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR
An NPM has been established
no
Several United Na…
i
19/02/2021
/ Observatoire international des prisons, section belge
Female prisoners
4.4 %
i
12/2019
/ ICPR
Incarcerated minors
0.6 %
The latest availa…
i
2013
/ ICPR, derniers chiffres disponibles
Percentage of untried prisoners
35.6 %
i
09/2018
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR
Death penalty is abolished
yes, since 1996
i
it had not been applied since 1950

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Panorama Picture galleries Testimonials Seen in the press In case of arrest

For more information

Key Websites

Reports

Le Guide du prisonnier en Belgique, ed. Luc Pire, OIP et LDH, 2016, under the supervision of Marie-Aude Beernaert, Philippe Mary and Marc Neve
“Brussels mega-prison: origin of a crime “
Report from the International Prison Watch on the state of the Belgian prison system, 2016
Notice from the International Prison Observatory on the state of the Belgian prison system, 2013