Estonia’s crime rate is so low it may rent out prison space

In recent years the nation of 1.3 million has benefited from a comparatively low crime rate, leaving its three prisons half-empty. The ministry hopes that renting out space could be a welcome boon for state funding. 

Estonia’s new government has embarked on a round of tax hikes and budget cuts. It also seeks to boost military spending to deter potential threats from Russia. 

“Serious crime is on the rise in Europe. There are only four countries in the EU where crime is increasing slowly,” Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta told public broadcaster ERR in an interview published Sunday. “Fortunately, Estonia is one of them right now.”

There are precedents for Pakosta’s suggestion: Norway rented out space in Dutch jails amid a shortage of available capacity. The Times reported that Britain’s then-Justice Secretary Alex Chalk met with Estonian counterparts last year to investigate a similar scheme.

The cabinet hasn’t yet started discussing the proposal, which would need to be adopted by parliament before it can be implemented. It isn’t clear whether the measure would have enough support to pass.

Pakosta pointed to an arrangement under which Estonia already holds three war criminals from other countries in its Tartu Prison.

“By renting out prison space, we’d achieve a situation where we’d provide significantly more jobs – jobs with completely reasonable salaries,” Pakosta told ERR. “We could resolve several budget deficit-related issues.”