Almost 1700 convicted criminals are currently walking free in Belgium due to a shortage of prison cells and electronic ankle bracelets for house arrest. All of the undetained criminals have been sentenced to less than three years imprisonment.

The Belgian authorities are hard at work to rectify the problem and are urgently searching for a company to supply the electronic ankle bracelets as quickly as possible. The shortage of prison space will largely be solved next year, when Belgium plans to rent cells in the Netherlands.