Outsourcing Overflow Prisoners: Sweden Rents Prison Spaces in Estonia
Sweden intends to rent numerous detention facilities in Estonia
Sweden's escalating problem with gang-related crime has led the government to an unconventional solution: renting prison spaces in Estonia. A forthcoming agreement between the two EU nations is expected to be inked in Stockholm by mid-June, as announced by Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer at a press conference. The plan, which requires approval from the Swedish parliament with a three-quarters majority, aims to clear up domestic prisons by transferring adult men convicted of various crimes, such as murder, sexual offenses, and economic crimes, to Estonia.
The main candidate for this prison exchange is the southeastern Estonian city of Tartu, home to a prison with 400 cells accommodating up to 600 inmates. Henrik Vinge, chairman of the parliamentary justice committee and a member of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats, stated that Sweden will not ship high-risk criminals to Estonia, only low-risk ones, excluding terrorists, serious organized crime offenders, and suspected gang members.
Stretched to the limit by a surge in gang-related crime, Sweden faces a dire lack of prison spaces. To alleviate this predicament, the country plans to pay approximately 8,500 euros per month per prison space in Estonia, compared to €11,500 in Sweden.
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- At the Heart of the Issue: Sweden's decision is primarily motivated by the need to relieve domestic prison overcrowding driven by an increase in gang-related crime. By outsourcing prisoners to Estonia, Sweden aims to tackle the shortage of prison spaces while also exploring cost-effective solutions.
- Estonian Collaboration: The agreement involves renting 400 cells at Tartu Prison in Estonia, where Swedish law will apply and train Estonian guards. Estonian law will govern the prison, and no foreign prisoner will be released in Estonia before being returned to Sweden at least one month before their sentence ends.
- Jobs and Finance: The deal is projected to create hundreds of jobs in Estonia while keeping maintenance costs for foreign prisoners covered by Sweden, ensuring no additional financial burden on the Estonian taxpayers.
- Long-term Remedies: Despite providing immediate relief to Sweden's overcrowded prisons, the agreement does not directly address the underlying causes of gang-related crime, necessitating continued efforts to establish long-term solutions in Sweden.
- The economic and legislative implications of Sweden's outsourcing of prisoners to Estonia are likely to be discussed in policy-and-legislation sections of general news outlets, as this move could set a precedent for other countries facing similar prison overcrowding issues.
- As the Sweden-Estonia prison agreement progresses, observers may find debates about the policy unfolding in crime-and-justice and politics sections, given the sensitivity of transferring prisoners across borders and the potential impact on community policies in both nations.
