Baltic Country Could Accommodate International Offenders to Enhance Financial Resources
Several countries experiencing increasing crime rates are exploring options to rent prison beds in Estonia. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Estonian government is considering the possibility of leasing its prisons to other nations as a means to boost state revenue. Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta revealed this plan amidst discussions on spending reductions and tax increases in relation to the 2025 state budget.
In a recent interview with public broadcaster ERR, Pakosta mentioned that she had presented a memo regarding the jail rental proposal to the cabinet for further consideration. The initiative is projected to generate at least €30 million ($33.5 million) annually for the government, according to the justice minister's claims.
"Serious crime is on the rise in Europe. There are only four countries in the EU where crime is increasing slowly… Estonia is one of them right now," she stated during the interview.
The notion of utilizing prison space in Estonia to accommodate foreign inmates was previously put forth by Rait Kuuse, the head of the Estonian Prison Service.
As Kuuse noted, Estonia, with a population of 1.3 million, has approximately 3,000 bed spaces available in double-occupancy cells within its closed prisons, yet only 50% of these spaces are currently occupied.
In an opinion piece published by ERR last week, Kuuse referred to prison rental as a “feasible” solution. He mentioned that Norway had rented prison facilities from the Netherlands in previous years and highlighted Denmark's plans to lease a 300-bed prison in Kosovo.
He also indicated that the UK and Sweden have approached Estonia about this opportunity, as British prisons are facing overcrowding, while Sweden is looking to significantly increase its prison capacity. Additionally, Finland is reportedly short of around 500 prison beds, according to Kuuse.
Bloomberg reports that the cabinet has not yet engaged in discussions regarding this proposal, and it remains uncertain whether there will be sufficient support for its approval.
"By renting out prison space, we’d achieve a situation where we’d provide significantly more jobs – jobs with completely reasonable salaries," Pakosta explained to ERR. "We could resolve several budget deficit-related issues."
Estonia recorded a budget deficit of 3.4% last year, exceeding the EU's 3% GDP threshold. The nation's debt was €7.4 billion ($8.25 billion), making up 19.6% of its GDP.
Simultaneously, as a NATO member, Estonia plans to allocate between 3.21% and 3.43% of its GDP towards defense this year, far surpassing the alliance's recommended 2% guideline. The Estonian Defense Ministry indicated that military spending in 2024 “is directly affected by the war in Ukraine,” with Tallinn asserting concerns that Russia may target the Baltic state should it achieve success in the Ukraine conflict—an assertion dismissed as “nonsense” by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Estonian government is set to initiate discussions on the 2025 "austerity" budget on Tuesday, which will likely include both budget cuts and tax increases to address the ongoing deficit.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
In a recent interview with public broadcaster ERR, Pakosta mentioned that she had presented a memo regarding the jail rental proposal to the cabinet for further consideration. The initiative is projected to generate at least €30 million ($33.5 million) annually for the government, according to the justice minister's claims.
"Serious crime is on the rise in Europe. There are only four countries in the EU where crime is increasing slowly… Estonia is one of them right now," she stated during the interview.
The notion of utilizing prison space in Estonia to accommodate foreign inmates was previously put forth by Rait Kuuse, the head of the Estonian Prison Service.
As Kuuse noted, Estonia, with a population of 1.3 million, has approximately 3,000 bed spaces available in double-occupancy cells within its closed prisons, yet only 50% of these spaces are currently occupied.
In an opinion piece published by ERR last week, Kuuse referred to prison rental as a “feasible” solution. He mentioned that Norway had rented prison facilities from the Netherlands in previous years and highlighted Denmark's plans to lease a 300-bed prison in Kosovo.
He also indicated that the UK and Sweden have approached Estonia about this opportunity, as British prisons are facing overcrowding, while Sweden is looking to significantly increase its prison capacity. Additionally, Finland is reportedly short of around 500 prison beds, according to Kuuse.
Bloomberg reports that the cabinet has not yet engaged in discussions regarding this proposal, and it remains uncertain whether there will be sufficient support for its approval.
"By renting out prison space, we’d achieve a situation where we’d provide significantly more jobs – jobs with completely reasonable salaries," Pakosta explained to ERR. "We could resolve several budget deficit-related issues."
Estonia recorded a budget deficit of 3.4% last year, exceeding the EU's 3% GDP threshold. The nation's debt was €7.4 billion ($8.25 billion), making up 19.6% of its GDP.
Simultaneously, as a NATO member, Estonia plans to allocate between 3.21% and 3.43% of its GDP towards defense this year, far surpassing the alliance's recommended 2% guideline. The Estonian Defense Ministry indicated that military spending in 2024 “is directly affected by the war in Ukraine,” with Tallinn asserting concerns that Russia may target the Baltic state should it achieve success in the Ukraine conflict—an assertion dismissed as “nonsense” by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Estonian government is set to initiate discussions on the 2025 "austerity" budget on Tuesday, which will likely include both budget cuts and tax increases to address the ongoing deficit.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
