Netherlands seriously interested in renting prison places in Estonia

Tartu Prison. Photo: Dmitri Kotjuh / Järva Teataja

The Estonian Prison Service says there is serious interest from the Netherlands in renting prison space in Estonia.

Last week, Estonia's Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta received a nod from the government to enter into preliminary consultations with other countries to consider whether the partial renting out of Tartu Prison could materialize in the future.

Dutch Deputy Justice Minister Ingrid Coenradie has visited Tartu Prison and met with Pakosta. The Netherlands is one of the countries most seriously interested in the possibility of renting prison places in Tartu Prison. The ministers agreed that it would be worthwhile to discuss the various financial, legal and practical issues in detail together to get an idea of whether it is worth going ahead with the plan.

There are more countries besides the Netherlands that have a need to rent prison places. According to the government guidance, the Justice Ministry can now engage in more substantive discussions on this matter.

From Monday to Wednesday, officials from the Estonian Justice Ministry's prisons department and the Prison Service are visiting the Ter Apel and Zwolle prisons in the Netherlands to gain insights into their work with offenders.