Joke van der Stricht holds a degree in criminology and has been working at Schrassig Prison for eight years, where she was previously the deputy director.
In an interview on RTL Radio on Tuesday, the newly appointed director explained that the opening of the new Uerschterhaff Penitentiary (CPU) in Sanem at the end of 2022, beginning of 2023 - a facility reserved for people in pre-trial detention - will bring about substantial changes in Schrassig. The new Uerschterhaff Penitentiary will free up space and thus open up new possibilities.
Special sections may be introduced, for example for “first-time” prisoners, or a geriatric ward, a special section for elderly prisoners, as the prison population is ageing. There will also be more space for female prisoners.
A special block for prisoners struggling with drug addiction as well as specific rooms for family visits are also planned. All of these changes can be expected in about two years’ time, after the future Uerschterhaff Penitentiary officially becomes operational.
Workshops and job offers will also be developed. 200 places are currently available in the workshops. Every convict is required to work. Once the penitentiary in Sanem is operational, the workshops will be redesigned, including those for female prisoners.
Female prisoners currently have to work separated from the others in workshops, and the main activities available to them are sewing and cleaning. This situation will be improved too, van der Stricht stated. The prison administration is already working on a number of training courses that would allow prisoners to acquire new skills and qualifications. At the moment, prisoners are not able to follow training courses in prison that would allow them to obtain a recognised diploma.
As far as the coronavirus pandemic is concerned, the sanitary measures also apply in prison. All new arrivals are placed in quarantine for seven days and are tested twice before they can join the rest of the prison population. Ten infected people were detected upon arrival.
Discussions are still ongoing as to when prison staff and inmates can be vaccinated. However, it could be in the same order as that planned for the rest of the population.
Schrassig Prison is not overcrowded at the moment. It currently houses 500 inmates for 600 available places. No minors are currently detained at Schrassig, and Van der Stricht revealed that she personally thinks that Schrassig is not a place for them. However, she also stressed that she does not have the authority to say with certainty that this will not happen again.
