The justice ministry is to close down eight prisons, cancel new prison building programmes and cut 1,200 jobs in the sector, junior minister Nebahat Albayrak announced on Tuesday, news agency ANP reports.

The closures are necessary to cut the cell surplus and better dovetail with the changing demand for prison space, the minister was reported as saying. The prison closures will reduce the number of prison cells by 1,350.
At the same time, the Netherlands and Belgium are poised to finalise a deal which will see 500 Belgian prisoners held in Dutch jails for a temporary period. Belgium has a shortage of cells.
More to follow