Unveiling Secrets From Estonia's Neighbor, Sweden
In an innovative cross-border solution, Sweden and Estonia have agreed to transfer up to 600 low-risk inmates to a previously unused prison facility in Tartu, Estonia. This move aims to ease the overcrowding in Swedish prisons and make economic use of Estonia's vacant correctional infrastructure.
The Tartu prison system complies with all EU security and human rights standards and is suitable for prisoners with manageable sentence lengths who pose a low security risk. The annual minimum payment Estonia will receive from Sweden for 300 prison places is 30.6 million euros. For each additional prison place, Sweden will pay 8,500 euros per prisoner per month.
Estonia and Sweden have established criteria to mitigate security concerns, excluding prisoners convicted of terrorism or serious organized crime. Selected Swedish prisoners are screened by Estonia and can be rejected if doubts arise. The inmates will not be integrated with Estonian prisoners to avoid criminal networking, nor will they be released in Estonia; they are returned to Sweden at least one month before sentence completion.
The cooperation has sparked some ethical debates and local concerns in Estonia, particularly in the university city of Tartu, about potential impacts on security and society. However, it also represents a unique approach to handle prison overcrowding.
Estonia, with the lowest prison occupancy rate (56.2) in the entire EU, has more than halved its prison population since 2010. This decrease was achieved through legislative changes, better crime fighting, and prevention work. Estonia also places a greater emphasis on electronic monitoring and suspended sentences.
Sweden, on the other hand, has one of the highest prison occupancy rates among EU countries, with a rate of 112.6 in the latest comparison year of 2023. The high prison occupancy rate is due in part to the long-standing gang crime plaguing the country. The Swedish Minister of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, states that accommodating criminals in Sweden is 3,000 euros more expensive per month than in Estonia.
The Estonian government has agreed to rent up to 400 cells to Sweden, which could house up to 600 inmates in total. The government is addressing concerns about the import of dangerous criminals by not sending those convicted of terror offenses or serious organized crime to Estonia.
The fight against the gangs in Sweden is expected to take years, during which the situation in Swedish prisons is likely to remain tense. The government in Stockholm has declared war on the gangs and has introduced tougher laws and equipped the police with new tools and powers to combat them.
Despite the challenges, such as language and visitation details, prison conditions and standards in Estonia and Sweden are comparable, according to Kuuse. Swedish prisoners in Tartu will not be granted day release and will be returned to Sweden at least a month before the end of their sentences.
The agreement to lease prison cells in Tartu is considered beneficial for both Estonia and Sweden, according to the chief justice official. This cross-border solution offers a potential model for other countries facing similar prison overcrowding issues.
[1] ABC News (2023). Sweden to House Inmates in Estonia to Ease Overcrowding. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-15/sweden-to-house-inmates-in-estonia-to-ease-overcrowding/131488424
[2] The Guardian (2023). Sweden to Send Inmates to Estonia to Ease Overcrowding. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/sweden-to-send-inmates-to-estonia-to-ease-overcrowding
[3] The New York Times (2023). Ethical Debates Arise as Sweden Sends Inmates to Estonia. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/15/world/europe/sweden-estonia-inmates.html
- In addition to education-and-self-development, politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice, sports might be a topic of discussion, as the cooperation between Sweden and Estonia in transferring inmates has sparked debates and concerns in the university city of Tartu, a city known for its sports tradition.
- Despite the existing cross-border agreement on transferring low-risk inmates, there are still some prisoners who are not eligible to be sent to Estonia, such as those convicted of terrorism or serious organized crime, which implies that politics and crime-and-justice remain relevant in this context.
- The decision to lease prison cells in Estonia represents an innovative approach to handle prison overcrowding, and could potentially serve as a model for other countries facing similar issues, making it a topic of interest in the broader field of education-and-self-development and international relations.
