In the course of the 20th century, the administrators of Belgian prisons have adhered to a consistent policy which has resulted in real improvements in inmate lives: written guarantees of prisoners rights, educational and vocational programs in the prisons, treatment programs, and short-term prison releases. However, these achievements are jeopardized and undermined by the relentless growth of the Belgian prison population. This prison overcrowding is caused in part by the over-reliance on incarceration on the part of public policy makers and public opinion. Since the construction of additional prisons is impractical and economically unfeasible, the author suggests a change in policy which would reduce overcrowding by keeping the following offenders out of the prison system: military deserters, inmates who were unable to pay a fine, foreigners, vagabonds, inmates under preventive detention, and juveniles. 38 references