BRUSSELS 

Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden and Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt are exploring possible cooperation with Estonia to rent prison capacity for detaining undocumented foreign criminals, as prison overcrowding in Belgium continues to worsen.

The two ministers are paying a two-day visit to the Baltic country on Monday and Tuesday to assess the feasibility of such cooperation, Belga news agency reported on Monday.

Renting detention capacity abroad is among several options the Belgian government is considering to ease pressure on the country’s penitentiary system.

Similar exploratory visits have previously been conducted in Kosovo and Albania.

Estonia is widely known for its highly digitized justice and prison system and has already established a comparable cooperation framework with Sweden.

"If someone convicted in Belgium who is not entitled to remain in the country can serve their sentence in their country of origin or in foreign detention facilities, this means both the correct enforcement of the sentence and, at the same time, a significant efficiency gain for our penitentiary institutions," Verlinden said.

She added that such measures would also allow authorities to focus more effectively on rehabilitation and reintegration programs for inmates nearing the end of their sentences.

Van Bossuyt stressed that the government's priority remains the return of undocumented offenders to their countries of origin.

"Our message is clear: anyone who resides in our country illegally and is also guilty of criminality has no future here. ... Return to the country of origin remains the first choice. When that is not possible, we look at detention outside Belgium," she said.

Belgium’s prison overcrowding is rising again, according to the latest figures. Authorities said 585 inmates are currently forced to sleep on the floor, an increase of 55 compared to the end of January. The overall prison population has increased by 40 detainees since Jan. 26.

Last Friday, the federal government's core Cabinet approved a plan aimed at reducing the number of internees held in prisons. Internees are individuals who have committed crimes but suffer from mental illnesses and are considered unsuitable for standard detention facilities.

However, ministers have yet to reach an agreement on a comprehensive strategy to address prison overcrowding more broadly.