Sweden begins shipping off prisoners to rented Estonian cells

First published in Deník N. The first Swedish prisoners have arrived in Estonia following a cell-sharing deal signed that has been criticised in both countries. While Estonia has prison cells to spare, Sweden’s prisons are full. So, Stockholm has agreed with Talinn that it will send up to 600 Swedish prisoners to Tartu, Estonia. A plane carrying four Swedish prisoners recently landed at Amari military airport – about an hour’s drive from Estonia’s capital Tallinn Once inside a van waiting on the tarmac, they set off under a police escort on the roughly two-and-a-half-hour journey to Tartu, the country’s second-largest city. On the outskirts of the city is a prison that Estonia has decided to lease partly to Sweden. Around two-thirds of its capacity have stood empty, but soon they will be occupied by Swedish prisoners who will serve their sentences there. By October, a total of 100 prisoners will arrive at the Tartu facility, with as as many as 200 making it by the end of the year. Next year, more Swedish prisoners will follow. Rising violence and longer sentences Sweden has faced a shortage of prison places in recent years mainly due to rising violence among criminal gangs and harsher sentences. As a result, the number of those behind bars doubled between 2015-25 to over 11,200. Joakim Righammar, director general of The Swedish Prison and Probation Service, recently said prisons were in a “crisis situation” due to overcrowding. Seeking to increase its prison capacity, Swedish officials turned to Estonia, where almost half of prison cells are empty and prison occupancy is the second-lowest in the EU, at around 60 percent. Number of prisoners in selected European countries per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024. Source: Statista. The Baltic nation saw a crime wave in the 1990s, but has since managed to curb disorder while adopting a less repressive justice system. Around 1,600 people are now behind bars - the lowest number since Estonian independence in 1991. Last June, months of negotiations finished in agreement, paving the way for 600 prisoners to move to rented cells in Tartu. “Sweden and Estonia have reached an agreement that will significantly relieve the burden on the Swedish prison system,” Swedish justice minister Gunnar Strömmer said at the time. The five-year agreement means Sweden will transfer 300 prisoners to Estonia paying €30.6m annually. If Stockholm send more prisoners - up to 300 - it will pay an additional €8,500 per prisoner each month. And Sweden will save money as a result. If it kept its prisoners, it would cost up to €11,500 per prisoner per month. Minister Strömmer said the agreement benefits both sides. His Estonian counterpart expressed a similar view, describing the deal as historic. Pakosta expects it bolster Estonian prison infrastructure and create jobs. What is the situation in Tartu? Estonian law applies in the prison rented by Stockholm, where Swedish prison officers on site to train Estonian staff who will speak English with prisoners. Prison in Tartu, Estonia. Source: Tartu Prison on Facebook. Under the deal, each prisoner is entitled to a bed, chair, table, TV, radio, alarm clock, wardrobe, mirror and window coverings.