There are discussions about the potential of transferring convicted criminals from England and Wales to Estonia to serve their prison terms. A government minister has declined to dismiss the reports.
After the Baltic state’s announcement about offering surplus capacity to other nations, it was reported that the Ministry of Justice is currently investigating various options to increase capacity.
Due to the lack of cells in men’s jails in England and Wales, sources within the government have told the Telegraph that this option was being considered. In the previous month, there were only 83 empty cells left, raising concerns about the capacity of the system.
When questioned about the potential of renting cells for British prisoners in Estonia, Angela Eagle, a minister in the Home Office, refrained from commenting right away, as she mentioned that it fell outside of her direct ministerial responsibility.
She confidently expressed that her colleagues are actively considering various measures to address the crisis caused by the previous government’s handling of prison places, the prison service, and the criminal justice system as a whole.
Furthermore, she expressed her concern about the previous administration’s decision to close numerous prisons without making arrangements for their relocation. As a result, she anticipates that her colleagues in the Ministry of Justice will explore various solutions to address this issue.
“It is crucial that individuals who have been convicted of crimes that may involve violence or serious offences are not exempt from being incarcerated.”
There were expectations that convicted criminals in England and Wales could potentially contribute a €30 million (£25 million) boost to Estonia’s public finances. According to The Telegraph, this was a result of Estonia’s jails being half empty as a result of the low crime rate in the nation.
Shabana Mahmood, the secretary of justice, and Liisa Pakosta, her counterpart from Estonia, had a meeting scheduled on Thursday in Vilnius, Lithuania, to discuss prison leasing. The Council of Europe planned for the meeting to take place during their event.
“The United Kingdom and Estonia have a history of successful international cooperation, and such a partnership would create additional opportunities to mutually benefit and gain insights from one another,” Pakosta stated in an interview with the Telegraph at the time.
During last year’s Conservative conference, Alex Chalk, the former justice secretary, put forward the idea of sending offenders to Estonia. Labour vehemently condemned the idea, accusing the Tories of incompetence and underinvestment. The Prison Reform Trust also voiced their disappointment, characterising it as an incomplete plan.
The prison population in England and Wales has experienced substantial growth over the years, with numbers surging from around 40,000 in 1991 to now surpassing 88,000.
Next week, around 1,500 individuals are scheduled to be released from prison due to an emergency measure that reduces the percentage of custodial sentences to be served in prison for specific cases from 50% to 40%.
A new program called SDS40 is set to be launched on 10 September, enabling the release of 5,500 prisoners within a span of two months. This initiative is focused on individuals with sentences of five years or less. A separate group of inmates who have served sentences of five years or more will be released on 22 October.