For the first time, Sweden is letting another country be responsible for the operation of Swedish prisons.
Up to 600 prisoners from the Prison and Probation Service are to be transferred to the prison in Tartu, Estonia, by the end of July 2027.
Next month, the first 30 prisoners will be flown there on three separate occasions.
Niklas Bellström, head of unit at the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, explains that prisoners are transported according to standard procedures, using chartered aircraft for larger transfers and regular flights when there are fewer of them.
The Swedish Prison and Probation Service is used to transporting individuals abroad. We carry out such assignments on an ongoing basis today.
Convicted terrorists excluded
Prisoners excluded from being transferred to Estonia are those convicted of terrorist offences, treason and espionage. Otherwise, prisoners from any crime category can be placed there, as long as they do not pose a serious security risk.
In practice, this means that you should not have connections to gang crime, or be radicalised, says Bellström.
In our opinion, the Tartu prison corresponds to a security class two institution. That is the category we can place there.
There are no regulations regarding sentence length. Prisoners can be sentenced to anything from one month to parole, up to life in prison.
After the first 30 are transferred in August, the process will continue with 70 prisoners in September. After that, the authority will place 100 every three months until the spring of 2027, when the last 300 will be transported - to reach a maximum of 600 prisoners.
Selection not clarified
The selection of which prisoners will end up in Estonia has begun. One circumstance that is being looked at in particular is whether the criminal has family or relations in Sweden.
But there is no absolute obstacle to being placed there, says Bellström.
Inmates shall be given the opportunity to express their views on the decision to be placed in Estonia.
But it is not based on voluntariness in any way.
Getting visits from relatives will be more complicated than if the sentence is served in Sweden. However, Bellström points out that flight times are quite short and ticket prices are about the same as for domestic flights.
He also states that the Prison and Probation Service is working to create good conditions for visits and that there is the possibility of video and telephone calls.
Bellström mentions how important contact with relatives is.
It is important for reintegration into society.
In June 2025, the government decided with Estonia to rent prison places in Tartu, Estonia, to relieve the pressure on the Prison and Probation Service. When it was finalised, the government and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) called the agreement “historic”.
This is the first time ever that Sweden has let another state be responsible for the operation of Swedish prisons.
It will concern men over the age of 18 who have been convicted of crimes in Sweden, both Swedish and foreign citizens. However, not Estonians.
The staff at Tartu Prison will be Estonian, but speak English. Prisoners will be given the right to an interpreter and translation.
Estonian legislation will apply, but in order for prison sentences in Estonia to be equivalent to those in Sweden, certain special regulations have been agreed. Employment, the right to visit and communication with the outside world will correspond to what applies in Sweden.
Swedish personnel seconded from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service will be on site and, among other things, will be responsible for training the Estonian personnel.
