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Estonia will lease space at Tartu Prison to Sweden and accept up to 600 inmates under a new agreement being negotiated between the two countries. The draft legislation has been sent to the parliament.
Meanwhile, the Estonian Office of the Chancellor of Justice and the Internal Security Service emphasise the risks that placing foreign prisoners in Tartu may bring.
Amid the possible worsening situation for the Estonian prisoners, the main concern is that people with connections to extremism or international organised crime may arrive in Estonia.
The Internal Security Service has forwarded the recommendations to the government and hopes that it will take them into account to the greatest extent possible.
Marta Tuul, spokesperson of the Internal Security Service commented on Estonian TV:
“The main concerns we see are that people with connections to extremism or international organised crime do not arrive in Estonia. We also see that foreign prisoners may begin to be visited by individuals with connections to extremism or international organised crime.”
Falling numbers in Estonia
In 2023, the number of inmates in Estonia dropped below 2,000 for the first time and has been decreasing by about one hundred people each year. Meanwhile, the Swedish government aims to impose tougher and longer sentences, making it unlikely that the number of prisoners there will decline in the near future.
Indrek-Ivar Määrit, Head of Inspection Department of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice told Estonian public TV:
“For us, there are three main concerns here: Firstly, the situation of Estonian prisoners must not worsen because foreign prisoners are coming. Secondly, these foreign prisoners themselves must be treated in accordance with Estonian law and international requirements. And thirdly, in the broadest sense, Estonia’s internal security should not be endangered, and we are not only mindful of the danger that these people themselves pose, but also the danger that may accompany this process.”
For Swedish offenders, the Estonian state plans to use the S-Wing of Tartu Prison, which has approximately 350 places across 175 cells, followed by the E-Wing, which has 631 places in 318 cells.
Rait Kuuse, Secretary General for Prisons at the Ministry of Justice further elaborated on the plams:
“We prefer not to accept prisoners who are women or children. These would be male prisoners, either people convicted of crimes against the person or convicted of drug crimes, who do not have signs of being part of a network and who should not pose a significant threat to Estonia as a whole.”
Through the agreement, Estonia hopes to generate at least €30 million in additional revenue.
