Prisons running out of space for terrorism suspects

The Ministry of Security and Justice expanded the number of cells in the terrorism departments of the prisons in Vught and Rotterdam because there was not enough space to keep all the prisoners suspected of terrorism, Dutch newspaper AD reports. Prisoners suspected of any terrorism-related crime are kept in these prisons' terrorist departments. The prisoners are kept isolated, to make sure they do not spread their radical ideology, and the regime in the departments is extra strict. The Ministry of Security in Justice would not say anything the size of the expansion to the newspaper, only confirming that cells were added. Vught already hat six cells for terrorism suspects. According to the newspaper, two or three were added. The Schie prison in Rotterdam has room for seven suspects. Lawyer Andre Seebregts currently has a number of clients imprisoned in Vught. They had to be moved to another building due to the expansion, something they are not happy about. "The regime in Vught was more flexible for a while, but is now as strict as before", the lawyer said tot he newspaper. The strict regime is mentioned in almost every terrorism case. The suspects spend most of their time locked up in their cell and has to strip and endure a search each time they leave the cell to go to court. A study done by researcher Daan Weggemans of the International Center for Counterterrorism in The Hague also lead to questions about whether the terrorist departments and the fact that terror suspects are locked up with fellow terror suspects do not in fact lead to further radicalization.