Our prisons are severely overcrowded, with hundreds of people forced to sleep on the floor, and recent reports describing the situation as ‘unprecedented’ and ‘inhuman’. Belgium has already been condemned on several occasions by the European Court of Human Rights for this matter. Our prisons represent a chronic problem, and that problem does not end with the completion of a prison sentence.

All too often, release from prison is seen as an end point, the final step so eagerly awaited. Finally, the prison gate opens. Dream becomes reality. The start of a new life. But is that really the case? What happens when that gate finally opens? What happens when you are freed? 

Layla El-Dekmak decides to investigate after a chance encounter with someone who had been released from prison. It led her into a world that, until now, has too often remained in the shadows. A world of exclusion, shame, loneliness and injustice. A world that is far larger than many suspect. Almost everyone who goes to prison in Belgium eventually walks free again. And that is no small group, as around 20,000 people are released every year.

These people often have no social network to fall back on, have little access to essential services, are frequently homeless, and face poverty and mental health issues. They are ‘released’ back into society, but society often does not want them back. In the audio documentary  ‘Vrij’, you can hear their stories.

Coinciding with the premiere of the audio documentary, a panel discussion will take place. Layla El-Dekmak, independent journalist will talk with Nick De Ridder, expert (Rebron vzw), and Kristel Beyens, professor criminology and penology (VUB). ‘Vrij’ is a journey through life after detention: hope, pitfalls, and the painful reality of having to knock on doors that remain closed.  

Heleen Debeuckelaere, historian and journalist, will moderate. 

Vrij was made by Layla El-Dekmak. The documentary  is a production by Docwerkers with the support of the Pascal Decroos Fund, Linx+ and Trix. Edited by Ruby Bernabeu-Plous. Music by Jordan Hudson.