BEING A PRISONER FOR TWO DAYS IN THE PRISONS OF HAREN AND DENDERMONDE (Belgium)

In Belgium, two prisons have recently been opened: the prison of Haren in Brussels and the prison of Dendermonde. To prepare the transfer of the prisoners to both prisons, a test weekend with penitentiary staff and magistrates, playing the role of prisoners, has been organized. The aim is twofold: firstly, to test the operation of the prison before the ‘real’ prisoners are transferred, and secondly, to give magistrates the opportunity to feel and learn in real live what detention potentially means. As a prison researcher, I also got the opportunity to participate in both test weekends.
In this presentation I will first briefly introduce the establishment of both prisons in a Belgian context and the architectural choices that have been made.
Secondly, I will describe and discuss my experiences as a prisoner in both prisons. I will particularly focus the impact of being deprived of your liberty and contact with the outside world and link this to my penological insights.
Thirdly, I will end with a reflection on the possible impact and usefulness of such test weekends for the participants and the organisers and compare this with other forms of introduction to prisons for outsiders, such as prison visits.