The move could help balance the budget in Estonia, the justice minister has reportedly told the government
Estonia is considering renting out prison beds to other countries to cut operating costs, public broadcaster ERR reported on Tuesday, citing a proposal by Justice Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta.
The Baltic nation’s Prisons Department could contribute to government efforts to reduce the budget, either by cutting its expenses or boosting revenues, the minister told the outlet.
Pakosta’s suggestions range from selling off or mothballing one of the country’s three prisons, to leasing it out, to filling cells with foreign inmates and “doing Airbnb, figuratively speaking,” she explained.
Estonia currently has a total prison capacity of 3,334 beds and an inmate population of 1,841, the report explained. The number of prisoners has dropped by some 1,250 since 2014, Pakosta stated, claiming that the change was down to Estonians becoming increasingly law-abiding.
Other European countries have previously taken on foreign convicts, including in the Netherlands, which shared its excessive capacity with overcrowded Norway a decade ago. The British government last year reportedly asked nations on the continent, including Norway and Belgium, to host some of its prisoners. Such deals historically involved dozens of inmates and annual rent payments measured in millions of euros.
If the Estonian government opts for downsizing the Prisons Department instead, one of its facilities will likely be sold to a private investor, the justice minister told ERR. All the prisons in the country are relatively new. Their floor plans are similar to what a social housing unit or hotel would require, Pakosta said.
