Prison Hasselt News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> it's a very secure place where no prisoners may go. we watch everything. that's our security. for the moment we have no escapes in this prison, but inmates probably think a lot about escaping. but the security is very high. >> preventing escape is a high priority at hasselt. that's why peter was transferred here two weeks ago. he was sentenced to five years for the armed robbery of three jewelry couriers and then boldly tried to cut that sentence short. >> i notice when you walk you have a limp. why? >> it was an accident when i escaped. there was construction going on in the prison. so the...

To know. but when you go out, make your checks, you can sometimes smell the weed. the only thing can you do is the day after get a complete checkup of the cell. but most of the time you don't find anything. >> but that's not the only unusual security policy. while american correctional officers who have close contact with inmates don't carry guns, hasselt officers carry less. >> none of the staff have any weapons no, pepper spray, no batons? >> the only equipment we carry are our keys and the cell phone, that's about it. but if necessary, we can get plastic shields, batons, the restraints, cha...

Inside belgium's prison hasselt, inmate burack ersen has just spent his second night in an isolation cell. he's there for getting into a fight with another inmate. >> i'm the black sheep always. if there's ever anything, it's always me. >> this morning he will meet the prison's disciplinary committee to find out if there will be any further punishment. the inmate he fought, erik franzen, will also go before the disciplinary committee. but he seems no more concerned now than he was when he casually walked away from the fight as officers swarmed burack. >> what do you think is going to happen? a...

>> in accordance with belgian law, since peter committed no crimes during his escaped, he received no extra prison time once he was captured. >> it's a nice surprise. i don't like surprise but it's a nice surprise. >> peter's only punishment was a two-month stay in hasselt's high security unit, section 20. but it's all worked out for the best. he likes it here. >> it's better compared to the other ones. food here they give same way that they give in any belgian restaurant, any belgian traditional restaurant what they give, they give also here. same taste, same everything. >> i guess when you e...

>> it's a very secure place where no prisoners may go. we watch everything. that's our security. for the moment we have no escapes in this prison, but inmates probably think a lot about escaping. but the security is very high. >> preventing escape is a high priority at hasselt. that's why peter was transferred here two weeks ago. he was sentenced to five years for the armed robbery of three jewelry couriers and then boldly tried to cut that sentence short. >> i notice when you walk you have a limp. why? >> it was an accident when i escaped. there was construction going on