Estonia’s empty prison space could become ‘Airbnb’ for foreign criminals

Estonia, the northernmost Baltic country, has a unique problem of plenty – it has more prison beds than prisoners.

And the numbers speak for themselves. Out of 3,334 beds in three prisons in the country, only 1,841 are occupied by inmates.

No wonder that the NATO and EU member country of 1.3 million people is considering the possibility of renting out one of its prisons to other countries to cut maintenance costs as part of budget austerity plans.

Explaining the options for making cuts within the prison system, Minister of Justice Liisa Pakosta said there were several ways, according to Estonian public broadcaster ERR.

“Off the top of my head, these range from selling a prison to conserving or renting it out, all the way to, so to speak, turning it into an ‘Airbnb,’” Pakosta was quoted as saying.

The report also noted that the prison population has decreased by 1,250 over the past decade—a trend the Ministry of Justice expects to continue.

The ERR article attributed the fall to the increased use of alternative penalties for minors and young offenders, generally shorter prison sentences and detention periods, as well as a higher rate of probation releases.

Empty cells amid ongoing human rights concerns

The crime rate in Estonia has been historically low, with official data showing negative annual growth over the years.

However, the country has faced decades-long accusations over reports of discrimination and human rights violations against its Russian minority.

Estonia, since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has been accused of pursuing a targeted assimilation policy against its Russian minority, which constitutes about 20 percent of the population.

Over the past 30 years, the country has allegedly restricted the language rights of Russian speakers, the Minority Monitor reports.

Russian speakers remain disproportionately represented in blue-collar jobs and face higher unemployment rates compared to their Estonian-speaking counterparts in the country, according to a 2023 report by the US Department of State.

Common practice across Europe

The practice of leasing out prison space is, however, not new across EU member states.

Between 2015 and 2018, Norway transferred a total of 650 convicts to the Netherlands, to serve out their sentences in Dutch prisons.

Belgium has also in the past turned to the Netherlands for additional prison capacity to manage its own overcrowding issues.

Most recently, on May 23, Kosovo’s parliament approved a deal to rent 300 jail cells to Denmark to help the Scandinavian country cope with overcrowded prisons in exchange for $228 million over the next 10 years.

Estonia’s justice minister noted that while no formal agreements exist yet, there is potential for other countries with overcrowded prison systems to rent space in Estonia.

“Renting out prison space in Estonia could allow countries with overcrowded prison systems, such as the UK, to house some of their inmates here instead,” Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported.