The prison of Berkendael is situated in the same building of the prison of Forest. The prison of Forest opened in 1910. This prison, shaped as a four-pointed star, was built according to the Ducpétiaux model and is composed of 2 small wings and 2 big wings. The two big wings were used as men’s ward and the two small wings as women’s ward. Those four wings were supplemented by a laundry. From 1930 on, a psyciatric ward was added to both wards.A medical and surgical centre was built between 2 wings. It was then transferred to Saint-Gilles. That ward, which became a common ward and was then disused, currently houses workshops. It is doomed to disappear in favour of a modern psychiatric ward with a capacity of 137 beds.The 4 wings as well as the psychiatric ward are currently reserved for men. A new laundry was built in 1976-1977 and a new women’s ward built on the location of the former laundry opened in January 1983. The women’s ward was then transferred to the premises of the former penitentiary observation centre, which is next to the prison. The building left by the women became the men’s psychiatric ward, of which premises were converted into workshops.