Sweden and Estonia to Sign Agreement This Month
Sweden to Pay 47.5 Billion KRW for Use of 300 Prison Cells
Sweden has decided to lease a prison in Estonia across the sea to address the growing problem of prison overcrowding caused by an increasing number of criminals.
According to Euronews and other sources on June 7 (local time), the Swedish and Estonian governments are expected to sign an agreement in the middle of this month to house 400 to 600 Swedish inmates in 400 cells at Tartu Prison in Estonia.
According to the draft agreement, Sweden will pay Estonia 30.6 million euros (approximately 47.5 billion KRW) per year for the use of 300 cells. If additional cells are rented, Sweden will pay an extra 8,500 euros (about 13.2 million KRW) per inmate per month. Tartu Prison has a total capacity of about 998 inmates. The agreement limits the inmates to adult male prisoners who are not associated with terrorism or serious organized crime. In addition, prisoners will be returned to Sweden one month before the end of their sentence so that they can be released in their home country.
It costs Sweden 11,400 euros (about 17.7 million KRW) per month to house one inmate in a Swedish prison, so even with the additional costs in Estonia, this arrangement is still cheaper than operating Swedish prison cells. Estonia, which has a surplus of prison cells, also expects job creation and increased tax revenue from leasing out its prison facilities.
In recent years, Sweden has seen a surge in prison occupancy rates due to an increase in violent and gang-related crimes. Currently, Sweden's prison occupancy rate stands at 141%, with 7,530 inmates held in facilities designed for 5,022. Sweden is also considered the European Union (EU) member state with the highest number of shootings per capita. In February, 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at an immigrant education facility in the Orebro region, and in April, three people died in a shooting spree in the university city of Uppsala.
Estonia's prison capacity is about 3,278, but as of the end of last year, the number of inmates was below 2,000, leaving 44% of cells vacant. For this reason, the United Kingdom, which is also facing prison overcrowding, has shown interest in sending its own prisoners to Estonia.
However, there are concerns regarding this "prison leasing" arrangement. Due to the notorious reputation of Swedish gang crime, there are worries that visits from gang members could worsen public safety in Estonia.
As a result, some argue that only video visitation should be allowed for Swedish inmates. There are also concerns that, since the prison will be operated under Estonian law and correctional systems, experience in managing multinational inmates will be necessary. The prison leasing agreement is expected to take effect around July 2026, after it passes both countries' parliaments.
In Europe, it is not uncommon for countries to lease prison facilities from one another. In the past, Norway and Belgium have rented prisons in the Netherlands. Last month, the Kosovo parliament approved a bill to lease 300 prison cells to Denmark.
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