Sweden to Rent Estonian Prison to House Hundreds of Inmates

In recent years, Sweden has seen a rise in violent crime. Gangs and organized groups have been behind many of these acts.

As a result, the government has introduced tougher laws and longer sentences. But there’s a problem.

The country simply doesn’t have enough room to hold everyone being sentenced. Swedish prisons are now full beyond capacity, writes Digi24.

A Prison System under Stress

To deal with this, Sweden plans to send up to 600 of its prisoners to Estonia. The government announced the deal on Wednesday.

If approved by both countries’ parliaments, the transfer will begin in July next year.

The prisoners will be housed in Tartu prison, which will be fully reserved for Sweden. Only male inmates will be sent. They will include men convicted of serious crimes such as murder and sexual assault.

Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said the prison system is under heavy strain. He explained that the country needs more space urgently.

Renting the Estonian prison will give Sweden some breathing room while it works on longer-term solutions.

Saving Money while Fixing a Growing Crisis

The cost of housing each prisoner in Estonia will be around 8,500 euros per month. That’s actually cheaper than the 11,500 euros Sweden spends for each inmate at home. So the deal also saves money.

Right now, Sweden’s prison system is running at 141% capacity. That means there are about 7,300 inmates in a system built for just over 5,200.

According to the national prison service, the situation will only get worse. They estimate that over the next ten years, about 30,000 people will serve time.

Other European countries have made similar moves. Norway and Belgium have rented space in the Netherlands. Denmark has a controversial deal to send prisoners to Kosovo.

For Sweden, the Estonia agreement could be a temporary fix to a growing crisis.

But it also raises important questions about how far a country should go to solve a prison shortage — and what happens when crime grows faster than capacity.