At a meeting on Thursday, Estonia’s Cabinet of Ministers approved consultations with other countries to examine the possibility of partially renting out a prison in Tartu.
Tartu Prison currently has 600 vacancies, and the government hopes that renting some space out to others would help to keep the prison open, to keep staff jobs, and to provide important knowledge and experience for future.
“There are several countries that are looking to deal with shortages in prison places and staff,” said Liisa Pakosta, Estonia’s minister for justice and digital affairs. “Today’s government guidelines offer a chance to consider options related to those countries more specifically.”
The minister adds that the guidelines speak to all of the relevant risks and solutions, starting with the profile of prisoners and the organisation of work, and ending with national legislation that would be brought to bear when deciding on sanctions about crimes which may be committed by prisoners at Tartu.
“We need to discuss all of the details, the payback and the impact on the economy and security of Estonia,” Pakosta said. “We have our own vision with clear lines in the sand that we will not cross.”
The most important thing, she said, is the safety of people in Tartu. All of the prisoners would be sent back to their country of origin upon expiration of their term. None would be released into Estonian society.
It is also assumed that all transportation, health care and legal services costs will be covered by the country that is renting the prison facilities.
Pakosta said that consideration of the new system is still in its early stages. Her ministry is now moving onto preliminary consultations to asses whether such an arrangement is even realistic.
“We think that there would be major advantages by preserving and increasing our number of highly trained employees and their competitive salaries,” Minister Pakosta added. “By engaging with a new target group, moreover, our prison service could gain valuable new experience and knowledge for the future.”