Key facts
- Extreme heatwaves have exacerbated overcrowding and poor conditions in French, Italian, and Belgian prisons.
- Occupancy rates in French prisons reached 141.3%, Italy's 139.7%, and Belgium's 121%.
- Inmates are suffering from heat, with limited access to water, fans, and adequate cell space.
- Activists and officials are calling for urgent measures to combat overcrowding and renovate facilities.
- Some countries are implementing measures like allowing home detention for certain inmates and improving ventilation.
Heatwaves across Europe have exposed critical issues of overcrowding and aging infrastructure within prison systems, leading to inhumane conditions for inmates. In France, where occupancy rates average 141.3%, prisoners are struggling with extreme temperatures in cells not designed for such heat, with some reporting medical incidents linked to the conditions. The French justice ministry acknowledged the need to fight overcrowding to mitigate heatwave difficulties.
Italian prisons, with a 139.7% occupancy rate, have seen activists organizing mass visits to highlight the plight of inmates, who can spend up to 20 hours a day in their cells. While the ministry has allocated funds for fans and refrigerators and pledged to increase capacity, progress has been slow. A new law allows some prisoners to serve sentences at home, and perspex screens have been removed from some cells to improve ventilation.
In Belgium, with a 121% occupancy rate, prison directors report increased tensions and confrontations due to the heat. Older facilities, like those in Ghent and Merksplas, are severely overcrowded, forcing directors to adapt security protocols to ensure basic ventilation and airflow, with some leaving cell doors open at night. Officials emphasize that the punishment is the deprivation of liberty, not exposure to inhuman conditions.