Finland is considering sending prisoners abroad to serve their terms to ease its overcrowded prison system. On Thursday (Sep 17), the Ministry of Justice published a study examining the legal conditions for renting prison places from another country. Finland currently has about 3,900 prisoners, of whom 950 are foreign nationals, according to figures from the Prison and Probation Service cited by the ministry.
Their increase accounted for about four-fifths of the overall rise in Finland’s prison population during the same period. The study highlighted that the Finnish government was closely monitoring the prison-sharing arrangement between Sweden and Estonia, as well as Denmark and Kosovo. Apart from building domestic prison capacity, the study stated that efforts were underway to transfer foreign prisoners to their home countries and improve deportation-related processes.
The number of foreign prisoners in Finland has risen by 76 per cent over the past decade. Drug offences account for 49 per cent of principal offences, sexual offences for 21 per cent and homicides for 10 per cent.
Justice Minister Leena Meri said the decision requires further examination as the issue raises constitutional questions Although no country has been selected and Finland is yet to start formal negotiations. “I consider it important that, because of overcrowding in our prisons, we examine what such a model would require in practice from the perspective of our legislation,” Meri was quoted as saying by the Helsinki Times.
A plane carrying four Swedish prisoners recently landed at Amari military airport, about an hour’s drive from Estonia’s capital Tallinn On Friday (Sep 18), the first Swedish prisoners arrived in Estonia following a cell-sharing deal that was signed in June last year.
Estonia to Lease Prisons to Sweden for Incarceration Needs
Estonia’s government has finalized an agreement to lease its unoccupied prisons to Sweden. Under this deal, approximately 600 prisoners are set to be transferred to rented cells in Tartu, Estonia’s second-largest city. This move aims to address Sweden’s growing incarceration challenges by utilizing available facilities in Estonia.
