Sweden will rent 600 prison places in Estonia under a newly finalised agreement, responding to a sharp rise in gang crime and overcrowded jails.
Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer confirmed on Monday, 2 June, that the deal involves leasing 400 cells at Tartu correctional facility. With two inmates per cell, that provides space for 600 prisoners.
“The negotiations have reached the finish line,” Strömmer said, describing the move as a “practical solution” to Sweden’s overstretched prison system, which is currently running at 96% capacity—or 141% if only single cells are counted.
In 2023 alone, Swedish courts handed out nearly 200,000 months of prison sentences—a 25% increase from the year before, and twice as much as in 2014.
Before it can be implemented, the Estonia deal must be approved by a three-quarters majority in Sweden’s national parliament.
The conservative Sweden Democrats, who campaigned heavily on tackling gang crime and toughening sentencing laws, received their best-ever result in the 2022 election. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson welcomed the move in a Facebook post and hinted at a broader policy of deporting dangerous criminals. “Sweden will become safe again,” he wrote, “and more prisons are an important step on the way.”
