The cabinet will on Friday discuss junior justice minister Fred Teeven’s plans to slash spending on prisons, which are thought to include making prisoners pay towards their upkeep.

RTL news says Teeven will go public with the proposals to cut €340m from the prison budget, if they are backed by ministers at today’s session.

Sources told the broadcaster the plans include the closure of a number of the country’s 29 prisons, taking into account the jobs situation in more remote areas.

Work

Teeven also wants to increase the number of prisoners who share cells and the use of electronic tagging. Tagged prisoners would also be forced to work, the broadcaster said.

Earlier this month, tv show Nieuwsuur said the justice ministry is considering giving 1,600 convicted criminals an ankle monitoring bracelet instead of prison.

There are also plans to make prisoners pay towards the cost of their upkeep, RTL said.

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