Unions 'not surprised' by violence at overcrowded Haren prison

Prison unions have said that they are not surprised by a string of recent incidents at Haren prison, including the alleged rape of a female inmate and an attack that left four guards injured.

Last week, a woman held at the prison was reportedly raped by another inmate while she was working in the prison workshop. She has filed a complaint, according to Bruzz.

Four members of staff were also hurt in what was described as a serious assault by an inmate. RTBF reported that the man had psychiatric problems.

The prison also recorded its first escape since it opened. Last Thursday, an inmate walked out by following a fellow prisoner who had permission to leave, under the supervision of a guard who was still in training. He was arrested in central Brussels the same afternoon and taken back to Haren prison.

The unions say the incidents are not connected but are symptoms of the same long-standing problems - too many prisoners and too few staff.

"These poor conditions create a lot of tension," said Yasin Sarikaya of the CSC trade union. He said the problems were more acute in Haren than in other Belgian prisons.

The prison currently holds 1,443 inmates, well over its capacity, according to RTBF. Earlier this month, an inmate took the Belgian state to court over his conditions at Haren, with his lawyer describing it as a place where people were forgotten.

About 150 inmates are currently sleeping on mattresses on the floor, according to several unions. The figure is down from a peak of almost 300, when the then director, Jurgen Van Poecke, resigned in protest.

"So many people sleeping on the floor is totally unworthy of a democracy," said Sarikaya.

The unions estimate that the prison is short of about 100 guards. Staff often do work meant for two or three people, the unions said, and many leave. 

Sarikaya spoke of "a wave of departures" driven by difficult working conditions, while Joachim Vermaeren of the socialist union Acod believes most go to work at prisons closer to home.

Many of those who remain are new. "The problem is that we have a lot of newcomers," Sarikaya told RTBF. "The number of guards isn't keeping up with the number of inmates, and that causes serious security problems."

Eddy De Smedt of the liberal union VSOA said the recent escape was surprising, given the prison's several layers of security. 

Justice minister Annelies Verlinden has put forward measures to ease overcrowding, including greater use of electronic tagging. Vermaeren called them "a drop in the ocean".

He described a vicious circle in which injured staff mean fewer activities for inmates, which in turn leads to more aggression. "There is no magic solution," he said.