Article 2: From Vision to Reform: Explaining the Rise of Small-Scale Detention in Belgium
https://doi.org/10.65264/SXTM5285
Abstract
This article examines how an innovative penal idea evolved into institutional reform by analysing the emergence and gradual implementation of small-scale detention in Belgium. It traces how the vision developed by prison governor Hans Claus in 2009—centred on small-scale, differentiated, and community-embedded detention—was transformed from a seemingly utopian proposal into an established component of Belgian correctional policy. Rather than focusing solely on the detention house model itself, the article explores the broader process of effecting change in corrections. It analyses how reform was achieved through a combination of coalition-building, advocacy, research, political engagement, legislative action, pilot projects, and international networking, illustrating the complex interaction between civil society, practitioners, academics, and policymakers in generating penal innovation.
The Belgian case demonstrates that correctional reform is not the product of a single policy decision but of a long-term process of building legitimacy, mobilising diverse actors, and creating opportunities for institutional change. At the same time, the article critically reflects on the tensions that emerge when innovative ideas become embedded within existing penal systems. It discusses risks of net widening, the dilution of the original small-scale philosophy, the persistence of security-oriented logics, and the risk that detention houses may reinforce rather than transform existing penal structures. The Belgian experience therefore illustrates both the opportunities and the constraints of correctional reform, showing that effecting change requires not only visionary ideas but also sustained advocacy, political commitment, empirical evidence, and continuous critical reflection to safeguard the original reform ambitions.
Keywords: Small-Scale Detention; Belgium; Coalition Building; Penal Reform
