by jerry fisayo-bambi  & Andreas Rogal with ebu
It’s published
Estonia leased space at the Tartu prison to Sweden, accepting up to 600 prisoners under a new agreement negotiated between the two countries. The bill was sent to Congress.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General and the Estonian office of Internal Security Services highlight the risks that foreign prisoners may be placed in Tartu.
In a situation where there is a possibility of worsening Estonian prisoners, the main concern is that people with connections to extremism and international organized crime may arrive in Estonia.
Internal security services hope to forward recommendations to the government and take them into consideration as much as possible.
Internal Security Services spokesman Marta Tuul commented on Estonian TV:
“The main concern we see is that people with connections to extremism and international organized crime will not arrive in Estonia, and that foreign prisoners may begin to be visited by individuals with connections to extremism or international organized crime.”
Estonia falls
In 2023, the number of inmates in Estonia fell below 2,000 for the first time, dropping by about 100 each year. Meanwhile, the Swedish government is aiming to impose stricter and longer sentences, and it is unlikely that the number of prisoners will decrease in the near future.
INdrek-Ivar Määrit, the inspector director of the Judiciary Prime Minister’s Bureau, told Estonian Public TV.
“For us, there are three main concerns here: First, the situation for Estonian prisoners should not be worsened due to foreign prisoners coming. Second, these foreign prisoners themselves must be treated in accordance with Estonian laws and international requirements.
For Swedish criminals, Estonia plans to use S-wing at Tartu Prison, which has around 350 locations in 175 cells, followed by e-wing, which has 631 locations in 318 cells.
Rait Kuuse, the Justice Department’s prison secretary, explained in more detail in Plum.
“We prefer not to accept prisoners who are women or children. These are male prisoners, and those convicted of crimes against them or those convicted of drug crimes, without any indication that they are part of the network, and should not pose a serious threat across Estonia.”
Through the contract, Estonia hopes to generate at least 30 million euros of additional revenue.
