Prisoner found dead in cell with other inmate; Police investigating

A prisoner was found dead in his cell at the Penitentiary Institution in Krimpen aan den IJssel on Wednesday morning. Another prisoner was with the body and refused to leave the cell, Rijnmond reported.

Prison staff alerted the police to the situation in the penitentiary on Van der Hoopstraat around 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Police officers, assisted by an internal team, took the live man from the cell with the body and placed him in an isolation cell. The police also arrested him in connection with the death of his cellmate, the Custodial Institutions Agency (DJI) said.

How the prisoner died is not yet clear. The police also haven’t released any information about his identity or why he was in prison. The police are investigating whether the man was killed in a crime.

The prison management will conduct its own investigation and arrange aftercare for the employees involved. “The discovery of the man is not only a rough incident for detainees but also for our employees. Anyone who needs it will get aftercare,” branch director Frank de Graaf told ANP. “We are fully cooperating with the police investigation so that it becomes clear how the detainee died.”