Baltic state Estonia considers housing overseas prisoners

Estonia’s Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta has instructed the BBC her nation is contemplating whether or not to deal with overseas prisoners in certainly one of its jails.

She mentioned she mentioned prisons with UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood at an AI summit in Vilnius on Thursday.

However she mentioned there have been no “agreements or something like that” with the Labour authorities.

The UK is coping with an overcrowding disaster in prisons, with the inhabitants in England and Wales at a record high.

With few areas left in cells, the federal government will launch about 3,000 prisoners from jails subsequent week, beneath a brief scheme.

It will come after a report in the Telegraph mentioned criminals may serve their sentences in Estonian prisons beneath plans being thought of by ministers.

Chatting with the BBC, Ms Pakosta careworn there had been no “political choice” on what to do with Tartu jail, which was nearly empty due to the low stage of crime within the nation.

She mentioned the UK – beneath the earlier Conservative authorities – was certainly one of a number of European international locations that had expressed curiosity in sending some prisoners to Estonia.

Ms Pakosta mentioned British officers had visited Tartu jail for an inspection beneath the earlier UK authorities.

The BBC has been told each former Conservative and present Labour ministers independently got here to the view that the scheme could be costly.

Earlier, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson mentioned: “Estonia was the coverage of the previous authorities.

“The present authorities is making no such plans or bulletins in relation to Estonian jail locations.”

The minister mentioned she had “an excellent assembly” with Ms Mahmood, as they gathered within the Lithuanian capital to signal the primary worldwide treaty on synthetic intelligence.

“However we had been discussing extra the final understanding of jail coverage in each international locations and what we are able to do to boost the sense of safety in our communities,” Ms Pakosta mentioned.

She added: “So I defined what we’re doing in Estonia and I received a common overview of the state of affairs in Nice Britain.

“However I’ve to underline we didn’t speak of any agreements or something like that, as a result of as I mentioned, we don’t have a political choice in Estonia but.”

Estonia’s ruling occasion selected Kristen Michal to interchange former chief Kaja Kallas because the Baltic state’s new prime minister in July. They’re from the identical Reform Occasion, which received an amazing victory in a common election in 2023.

Ms Pakosta mentioned it price about €3,000 (about £2,500) monthly to deal with an Estonian prisoner, beneath the EU common.

The typical annual general price of a jail place in England and Wales is £46,696, according to the Prison Reform Trust.

Estonia’s authorities estimates it may earn as a lot as €30m (£25m) a yr from renting out spare jail capability, because the nation seeks to spice up its public funds.

When requested if internet hosting overseas prisoners may harm Estonia’s worldwide fame, Ms Pakosta mentioned: “After all it isn’t the most effective matter to advertise Estonia.

“However I’d guarantee that coming as a vacationer to Estonia, coming to a rustic with such a low criminality charge, is an excellent possibility.

“It’s so secure we even have so many empty jail locations. Half of the jail locations are empty in Estonia. So all people is welcome to come back right here.”