Latest news with #SwedishPrisonandProbationService
Local Sweden
04-06-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Sweden could send up to 600 convicted criminals to Estonian prisons
A new agreement between Sweden and Estonia means that up to 600 criminals convicted in Sweden could serve time in prisons in Estonia, in what Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has described as a "historic" deal. Advertisement The new agreement, which is designed to partly solve Sweden's problem with a lack of prison space, is the result of negotiations which began this spring. The two countries have agreed that Sweden can rent 400 cells in a prison in Tartu – the entire prison – in the southeastern part of the country, which would house up to 600 convicted criminals. Prisoners eligible to be placed in Estonia would be men over the age of 18 who are convicted for crimes in Sweden. Both Swedish and foreign criminals would be eligible, with the exception of Estonian citizens. Under the deal Sweden would only be able to send prisoners who do not pose a major security risk, roughly equivalent to convicted criminals classed at security level two in Sweden, on a three-point scale. Staff in the prison in Tartu would be Estonian, but they would be able to speak English, and prisoners would have the right to interpreters. Estonian laws would apply, but some rules have been put into place to make sure that prisoners in Estonia have the same rights they would have had in Sweden. This includes rules around occupational activities, visitational rights and communication with the outside world. Advertisement The Swedish Prison and Probation Service would also have staff on site to assist with training Estonian staff. Sweden would also save money by sending prisoners to Estonia. According to Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, an Estonian prison stay would cost the state around €8,500 a month per person, compared to €11,500 per month in Sweden. A government-appointed inquiry which presented its findings late last year concluded there were no barriers in the Swedish constitution or European conventions which would bar it from renting prison spaces abroad. The deal requires a parliamentary vote with a three quarter majority before Sweden can start sending prisoners to Estonia. This means that the government and its Sweden Democrat allies will need the support of the Social Democrats, currently in opposition, to approve it. The law has a suggested implementation date of July 1st, 2026.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sweden to hire prison cells in Estonia for up to 600 inmates
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden will send up to 600 criminals to serve their sentences in an Estonian prison under an agreement announced by the government on Wednesday aimed at reducing pressure on the country's overcrowded jails. From July next year, Sweden will be able to send men over 18 who are convicted of crimes ranging from murder to sexual offences to the prison in the Estonian city of Tartu. The agreement needs to be approved by parliament in both countries. "The whole prison will be placed at Sweden's disposal," Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told reporters. "Sweden's prison system .. is under tremendous pressures and in that situation needs a plan for expansion to deal with that." Sweden will pay 8,500 euros ($9,680) a month per inmate, a saving on the average 11,500 euros a month cost in Sweden. A wave of gang-related violence over the last decade has led to tougher laws and sentencing in Sweden pushing up the prison population. In May, around 7,300 inmates were held in 5,235 cells - an occupancy rate of 141%, figures from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service showed. Including standby accommodation, the occupancy rate was 96%. The Prison Service reckons 30,000 people could be locked up in Sweden in 10 years. Belgium and Norway have hired prison places in the Netherlands. Denmark has an agreement with Kosovo, a move heavily criticised by Danish human rights experts. ($1 = 0.8783 euros)
Reuters
04-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Sweden to hire prison cells in Estonia for up to 600 inmates
STOCKHOLM, June 4 (Reuters) - Sweden will send up to 600 criminals to serve their sentences in an Estonian prison under an agreement announced by the government on Wednesday aimed at reducing pressure on the country's overcrowded jails. From July next year, Sweden will be able to send men over 18 who are convicted of crimes ranging from murder to sexual offences to the prison in the Estonian city of Tartu. The agreement needs to be approved by parliament in both countries. "The whole prison will be placed at Sweden's disposal," Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told reporters. "Sweden's prison system .. is under tremendous pressures and in that situation needs a plan for expansion to deal with that." Sweden will pay 8,500 euros ($9,680) a month per inmate, a saving on the average 11,500 euros a month cost in Sweden. A wave of gang-related violence over the last decade has led to tougher laws and sentencing in Sweden pushing up the prison population. In May, around 7,300 inmates were held in 5,235 cells - an occupancy rate of 141%, figures from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service showed. Including standby accommodation, the occupancy rate was 96%. The Prison Service reckons 30,000 people could be locked up in Sweden in 10 years. Belgium and Norway have hired prison places in the Netherlands. Denmark has an agreement with Kosovo, a move heavily criticised by Danish human rights experts. ($1 = 0.8783 euros)
Straits Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Sweden to hire prison cells in Estonia for up to 600 inmates
Sweden to hire prison cells in Estonia for up to 600 inmates STOCKHOLM - Sweden will send up to 600 criminals to serve their sentences in an Estonian prison under an agreement announced by the government on Wednesday aimed at reducing pressure on the country's overcrowded jails. From July next year, Sweden will be able to send men over 18 who are convicted of crimes ranging from murder to sexual offences to the prison in the Estonian city of Tartu. The agreement needs to be approved by parliament in both countries. "The whole prison will be placed at Sweden's disposal," Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told reporters. "Sweden's prison system .. is under tremendous pressures and in that situation needs a plan for expansion to deal with that." Sweden will pay 8,500 euros ($9,680) a month per inmate, a saving on the average 11,500 euros a month cost in Sweden. A wave of gang-related violence over the last decade has led to tougher laws and sentencing in Sweden pushing up the prison population. In May, around 7,300 inmates were held in 5,235 cells - an occupancy rate of 141%, figures from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service showed. Including standby accommodation, the occupancy rate was 96%. The Prison Service reckons 30,000 people could be locked up in Sweden in 10 years. Belgium and Norway have hired prison places in the Netherlands. Denmark has an agreement with Kosovo, a move heavily criticised by Danish human rights experts. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
