The titanic operation required a lot of preparation upstream. Some 200 prison staff, 232 police officers, four prisoner vans, a helicopter, a water cannon, an armored vehicle, a patrol boat, a drone, eight police horses, eight anti-drug dogs and four patrol dogs will be deployed to ensure the smooth running of the transport.
In total, the prison vans will make 34 round trips with the detainees, under strict police escort.
“The construction of the new prison in the Tanneweg in Dendermonde, officially ‘Poort van Dendermonde’, began in August 2020”, reads the press release. Two and a half years later, the new star-shaped prison complex was delivered in December. It comprises four wings of three floors each. The detainees will almost all stay in an individual cell. Classrooms and workshops are also planned.
“Detainees will serve their sentence in much better conditions, both in terms of infrastructure and support,” rejoices the Minister of Justice. Due to overcrowding, 20 people slept until recently on a mattress on the floor in the old prison, opened in 1863 and originally planned for 159 prisoners. For them, this situation is now a thing of the past.
This new prison in Dendermonde is the first in Flanders to operate with the distinct functions of security assistant and prison assistant.
“Detention counselors help detainees to implement their detention plan, thus enabling them to tackle the underlying issues likely to lead to recidivism. Thus, they are actively involved in professional, sports, training and relaxation of inmates. They help inmates to take control of their lives so that they are better prepared for the end of their sentence and the risk of recidivism is reduced. Security assistants take over the supervision tasks” , details the minister’s office.
Furthermore, the installation of 680 surveillance cameras reduces the need for physical surveillance. And thanks to the digital system for opening the doors by means of badges, the prisoners benefit from more freedom inside the walls, but also from more responsibilities in the accomplishment of their tasks in the kitchen, the laundry or in the workshops.
The new penal establishment is planned to accommodate 444 inmates.
As part of the fight once morest prison overcrowding, it was however decided to keep part of the old prison (Sint-Jacobstraat) open for another five years for around a hundred prisoners.
“The old Dendermonde prison was dilapidated and desperately archaic. In these conditions, it was even more difficult to give meaning to detention, despite the many efforts made by the management and the prison staff. For the latter, the working environment had become unpleasant. Investing in modern prisons is investing in a safe society”, commented Vincent Van Quickenborne.
# Belga context
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