Sweden and Estonia have reached an agreement allowing the Nordic country to rent cells in Estonian prisons.
Swedish and Estonian authorities stated that the agreement addressed the needs of both countries: Sweden’s overcrowded prisons and Estonia’s underutilised prison facilities.
Sweden will be allowed to rent 400 places, for up to 600 inmates, at the prison in Tartu, in southeastern Estonia.
It will involve men of 18 and above who have been convicted of crimes such as murder, economic or sexual crimes in Sweden, both Swedish and foreign citizens.
Inmates who require extensive care or who are considered to pose a higher security risk, though, for example inmates who have been convicted of terrorist crimes, crimes against national security or who have connections to serious organised crime, would not be jailed in Estonia.
According to the Swedish Government, recent reforms of the justice system in the northern country meant “more people will be in prison; therefore, with this agreement, they aim to counteract the shortage of space in Swedish prisons”.
“The need for new detention and prison places is therefore very great, and the expansion needs to continue at full speed. The agreement with Estonia is one of several important steps in the government’s intensive work to increase capacity and relieve the burden on the Swedish prison service,” the government said on June 4.
After over 30 explosions and several fatal shootings in the first month of the year, the Swedish government admitted the country was suffering from a new wave of violence over which it had no control. https://t.co/m0bclCg2ks
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 30, 2025
Under the agreement, Estonian law would apply to foreign nationals convicted in Sweden, while the cost of the placement in Estonia would be €8,500 per place per month.
Rules have been introduced to ensure that these prisoners retained the same rights they would have had in Sweden, such as occupational activities, visitation rights and communication with the outside world.
For the potential language barrier, prison staff at Tartu would be Estonian but they would be able to speak English and prisoners would have the right to interpreters.
According to the Estonian authorities, convicted individuals would not be eligible for release or temporary leave within Estonian territory: “No foreign prisoner will be released in Estonia; instead, they will be sent back to Sweden at least one month before the end of their sentence”, said the Estonian Government.
The Estonian justice minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta assured that the move would benefit the country’s economy.
“The agreement allows Sweden to place up to 600 low-risk inmates in Tartu Prison, all maintenance costs related to foreign prisoners will be covered by Sweden, so there will be no additional burden on the Estonian taxpayer,” she said.
Pakosta argued that the agreement was a positive way to foster the “good relations” between the two countries.
“In such a close relationship as that between Estonia and Sweden, it is in the interest of both countries to exploit all opportunities to strengthen security co-operation. We see this agreement as a bilateral co-operation to strengthen the security of both countries,” she said on June 4.
In 2024, the number of inmates in Estonian prisons fell by 164, leaving 1,655 inmates currently incarcerated. According to the Estonian media, the Tartu Prison laid off 90 staff members in 2024 due to a lack of work.
Speaking to the Estonian press in January 2025, Pakosta stressed the need to retain prisons for potential future needs, possibly including prisoners of war.
