Today in European prisons there is a change in the approach to serving sentences. In Belgium, a decision was made to release convicts to serve the remaining term of their sentence at home, with the aim of relieving prison facilities.
According to the new rules, persons convicted of infeasible serious crimes will be able to alternate one month in prison and one month under house arrest. However, this approach will remain out of bounds for people convicted of terrorism or sex crimes, as well as those who have received a term of more than 10 years.
A similar practice was already used in Belgium during the pandemic, when prisoners were allowed to spend a week at home and a week in prison. This applied to persons whose sentences were nearing completion.
Experts believe that easing conditions can encourage inmates to behave better and encourage them to work toward early release. For example, in Denmark, solitary confinement will now be used only in exceptional cases.
