Belgium is considering creating a floating prison on a platform or ship within the borders of one of the country's ports by the summer due to the constant lack of sufficient places in prisons on land, local media reported, quoted by BTA.
Belgium has been repeatedly criticized by the Council of Europe for prison overcrowding, and recently media reported that hundreds of prisoners are forced to sleep on the ground and the authorities are negotiating with Kosovo to transfer some of the prisoners.
It is reported that neighboring Netherlands already has experience with a floating prison, and that at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, Belgian authorities already used a pontoon to find space for their shelter. It is added that private companies are interested in providing the necessary service to the authorities related to the security of the facility, which is designed for about 350 people.
The Ministry of Justice specifies that in order for the floating prison to operate, it will be necessary to build additional peripheral infrastructure. Experts explain that legal changes may also be required due to the possibility of private companies being involved in these activities.