No prison escapes so far this year in Belgium

In the first eight months of this year, there has not been a single successful escape from a Belgian prison. The last escape in the country was 18 months ago. In 2014 there were five escapes, markedly less than in 2013 and 2012 when there were 12 and 14 jailbreaks. In 2011, there were even 24 prison escapes. Failed escape attempts are not included in the figures.

Belgian media attribute the decline to investments in additional security measures, such as surveillance cameras.

Prison escape in Belgium is not punishable by law, but escaped prisoners are punished if they commit criminal offenses in the course of trying to break out. Nine out of ten inmates who manage to escape are arrested again.