All too often, release from that prison is seen as the final step, the end point that people have been looking forward to so eagerly. At last, the gate opens. The dream becomes reality. A new life begins. But is that really the case?
What if that gate finally opens? What if you were set free?
After having a chance conversation with someone who had been released from prison, Layla El-Dekmak decided to investigate. This led her into a world that has all too often remained in the shadows until now. A world of exclusion, shame, loneliness and injustice. It is a world that is far larger than many realise. Almost everyone who goes to prison in Belgium is eventually released. That is no small group: around 20,000 people are released every year.
In this documentary, Layla El-Dekmak talks to people directly affected by the issue, as well as experts who have worked in this field for many years and civil society organisations trying to find solutions within a poorly functioning system on a daily basis.
Vrij is an audio documentary produced by Docwerkers with support from the Pascal Decroos Fund, Linx+ and Trix, and created by Layla El-Dekmak.
Editing: Ruby Bernabeu-Plous. Music: Jordan Hudson.
