There is a great shortage of prison places in Sweden. The need is also expected to increase.
Therefore, the Ministry of Justice has investigated the possibility of Sweden renting prison places abroad.
There is a need to work with new solutions within the Prison and Probation Service, says Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) at a press conference.
One track is to seek cooperation with other countries on prison care.
"Paradigm shift"
In the investigator's proposal, which is now being submitted to the government, it appears that there are no obstacles in either the Constitution or the European Convention against renting prison places abroad.
We have drawn experiences and talked to countries that have done this before, says investigator Mattias Wahlstedt and continues:
It is a paradigm shift, something new, something big and raises questions. But it has been done in recent times by countries in our vicinity.
He mentions Norway, Belgium, and Denmark.
However, Wahlstedt believes that a qualified majority in the Riksdag will be required to approve such agreements.
The investigator believes that prison places should only be rented in countries that are members of the EU or EEA. The differences between a Swedish prison and a placement abroad should be "as small as possible", according to the investigator.
Both inmates with Swedish and other citizenships are proposed to be placed abroad, and only persons over 18 years old.
Discussions are ongoing
According to Wahlstedt, the convicted person's connection to Sweden should also be taken into account in the event of a placement abroad.
It includes, for example, family situation. If one sees ahead that there will be a great need for visits from children, one should, like in a placement in Sweden, take into account the child's best interests and the right to private life, he says.
It is something that, according to him, can speak against a placement abroad, but does not imply an absolute prohibition.
According to Gunnar Strömmer, discussions are ongoing with other countries, but there are no clear agreements. It has previously been reported that the government is in talks with Estonia.
