Vzw De Huizen

What Vzw De Huizen does

VZW De Huizen (also known as Les Maisons asbl) is a Belgian non-profit organization (vereniging zonder winstoogmerk / association sans but lucratif) founded in 2012 and headquartered at Diestsesteenweg 49, 3010 Kessel-Lo (Leuven), Belgium. The organization advocates for replacing traditional prisons with small-scale, differentiated, community-anchored "detention houses" (detentiehuizen) as an alternative penitentiary model. Its work targets Belgian government officials, criminal justice stakeholders, and detained or ex-detained persons, with the stated objective of reducing recidivism and addressing overcrowding and inadequate reintegration outcomes in the classical prison system. The organization reports a 30% reduction in recidivism for residents of transition houses as a quantifiable outcome of its model.

The organization operates on a non-commercial basis, accepting donations and likely relying on grants and contributions to fund its advocacy, research dissemination, and educational outreach. It does not sell products or services, has no proprietary technology, and runs with a small staff of approximately seven employees. Its go-to-market is advocacy-driven: a website (dehuizen.be) and LinkedIn presence, regular coverage in Belgian mainstream media (VRT, De Morgen, Knack, HLN, regional outlets), and direct engagement with policymakers to influence legislation supporting detention houses. The organization received the Solidariteitsprijs from De Standaard in 2013.

Since 2019, VZW De Huizen has functioned as the Belgian national partner of RESCALED, a European network organization that promotes small-scale detention models and operates with members in seventeen countries and national offices in six. This partnership gives the organization access to pan-European research, peer advocacy frameworks, and cross-border legitimacy, and positions it as the originating Flemish voice within a broader movement. Its disclosed operating geography is Flanders, Belgium, with no current commercial footprint.

Name

Vzw De Huizen

Legal name

VZW De Huizen

Website

https://dehuizen.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VZW De Huizen is a Belgian non-profit founded in 2012 that advocates replacing traditional prisons with small-scale, community-anchored detention houses, serving Belgian policymakers, criminal justice professionals, and detained or ex-detained persons. Since 2019 it operates as the Belgian partner of the pan-European RESCALED network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Advocacy

NAICS

Parole Offices and Probation Offices (92215), Correctional Institutions (92214)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE), Adult Corrections (Prisons & Jails) (BPAIAFAD)

Keywords

• Penal reform advocacy
• Alternative detention
• Community-based justice
• Criminal justice reform
• Restorative justice

Headquarters

HQ city

Kessel-Lo (Leuven)

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Vzw De Huizen is a Belgian non-profit advocacy organization that promotes the concept of "detention houses" (detentiehuizen / maisons de détention) as an alternative to the classical prison system in Belgium. The organization advocates for small-scale (around 50 places), differentiated, and community-anchored detention facilities focused on reintegration rather than isolation, working with government, practitioners, academics, and local communities to advance penal reform.

Product overview

Vzw De Huizen is a non-profit advocacy organization, not a product company. It does not offer commercial products or services. The organization advocates for the replacement of traditional prisons with small-scale detention houses (detentiehuizen) as an alternative penitentiary paradigm. The core concept is built on three pillars: kleinschalig (small-scale), gedifferentieerd (differentiated), and verankerd in de buurt (community-anchored). Since 2019, Vzw De Huizen serves as the Belgian partner of RESCALED, a European network organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy for Detention Houses (Detentiehuizen / Maisons de détention)
• Belgian RESCALED Partnership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% reduction in recidivism reported for residents of transition houses

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RESCALEDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Since 2019, VZW De Huizen has been the Belgian partner of RESCALED, a European movement that aims to replace current prisons with small-scale detention houses. RESCALED is a network organization with members in seventeen countries and has national offices in six countries, including VZW De Huizen in Belgium. This partnership is central to the organization's mission and international advocacy work.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• RESCALED: The pan-European movement for small-scale, community-anchored detention houses of which VZW De Huizen is the Belgian partner. RESCALED shares the same conceptual framework, three-pillar model, and reform agenda, making it the closest structural counterpart — essentially a network-level peer.
• Prison Reform Trust: UK charity that works to reduce unnecessary imprisonment and promote community solutions for offenders. It mirrors VZW De Huizen's advocacy model of combining research, media engagement, and policy lobbying to advance alternatives to traditional prison systems.
• Centre for Justice Innovation: A UK charity that develops and tests practical innovations in the criminal justice system, including community-based alternatives to custody. Comparable to VZW De Huizen in combining advocacy with on-the-ground piloting of alternative detention models.
• Howard League for Penal Reform: The UK's oldest penal reform charity, focused on advocacy and research to reduce imprisonment and promote community-based alternatives. Like VZW De Huizen, it is a non-profit advocacy organization targeting policymakers and criminal justice stakeholders with a mission to reform detention systems.
• Just Detention International: A US-based health and human rights organization dedicated to ending sexual abuse in detention and promoting humane custodial conditions. It is comparable as a non-profit advocacy organization targeting systemic reform of detention environments and prisoner wellbeing.

Emerging players

• RECLAIM: A UK charity focused on working with at-risk and justice-involved young people to prevent criminalization and improve reintegration. It overlaps with VZW De Huizen's reintegration pillar but targets a narrower youth-focused segment rather than the adult detention system.

Others

• European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT): Council of Europe body that monitors places of detention across Europe to prevent ill-treatment. It is an enabling/oversight peer rather than a direct competitor, since VZW De Huizen's small-scale detention model aligns with the humane-conditions standards CPT promotes.

Broad incumbents

• Penal Reform International: An international non-governmental organization working globally on penal reform, human rights in detention, and rehabilitation. It operates at significantly broader geographic scale than VZW De Huizen but pursues closely aligned goals around humane, rights-based detention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vzw-de-huizen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Vzw De Huizen