The chambers of the sentence enforcement section are normally presided over by a panel of three judges: one of the "ordinary" judges of the tribunal and two lay judges. The ordinary judge acts as the presiding judge, the two lay judges as assessor judges. The official title of these lay judges is "assessor in the sentence enforcement tribunal" (, , ). There are three categories of these lay judges: specialists in penitentiary matters, specialists in social reintegration, and specialists in clinical psychology. In the chambers that handle cases related to the enforcement of criminal sentences, one of the lay judges is a specialist in penitentiary matters and the other one a specialist in social reintegration. In the chambers that handle cases related to the committal and treatment of the criminally insane, one of the lay judges is a specialist in social reintegration and the other one a specialist in clinical psychology. Just like is the case for the ordinary judges, there are permanent and alternate lay judges. To become a lay judge, one must meet certain statutory requirements, possess the necessary qualifications, and pass an examination organised by the Belgian federal government. The federal government will appoint the lay judges from among those who passed this examination. Unlike the ordinary judges, the lay judges do not have life tenure, but are appointed for a limited duration. Their appointment can be renewed, subject to a favourable evaluation by the president of the tribunal of first instance. These specialist lay judges only serve on the sentence enforcement chambers; they cannot sit in any of the other sections or chambers of the tribunal.