Sweden to transfer hundreds of prisoners to Estonia amid overcrowding crisis
By lauraharris // 2025-06-09
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  • Sweden's prisons are severely overcrowded, with occupancy rates reaching 141 percent when excluding temporary measures like double-bunking. Rising crime, especially gang violence, has exacerbated the issue.
  • Sweden will rent 600 prison spaces from Estonia at €8,500 ($9,724) per prisoner per month – cheaper than domestic costs. The facilities will match Swedish standards, but logistical challenges remain for prisoner leave and transport.
  • Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer and coalition partners announced the plan as a short-term solution while expanding domestic capacity. Stricter sentencing laws have also contributed to rising inmate numbers.
  • Swedish prisons face escalating violence – 1,333 inmate attacks and 2,354 staff assaults in 2023. Union leaders warn that inmates are effectively "taking over" due to staff shortages and resource gaps.
  • Officials admit Sweden's penal system is strained after years of delayed expansion. While outsourcing provides temporary relief, critics warn that systemic reforms are needed to prevent further deterioration.
Sweden has struck a deal with Estonia to rent 600 prison spaces to alleviate severe overcrowding in its penal system. The Swedish Prison and Probation Service has warned of continued growth in the inmate population. The official occupancy rate stands at 96 percent, but that figure skyrockets to 141 percent when excluding temporary measures like double-bunking cells – a stopgap solution that has failed to keep pace with demand. With crime rates rising, particularly gang-related violence, authorities have scrambled to find solutions, including stricter sentencing laws and now, outsourcing prison capacity. In line with this, Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, alongside representatives of the governing Tidö coalition, including Henrik Vinge of the Sweden Democrats (SD), Ingemar Kihlström of the Christian Democrats (KD) and Martin Melin of the Liberals (L), announced in a press conference on June 4 that Sweden will pay Estonia approximately €8,500 ($9,724) per prisoner per month – a significant reduction compared to the €11,500 ($13,155) cost of housing inmates domestically. (Related: NYC welcomes CRIMINALS with open arms: New law banning landlords from doing criminal background checks on tenants set to pass.) "The rooms will be of the same standard and have the same equipment as living rooms have in Swedish prisons," said Henrik Vinge, chairman of the Justice Committee. However, logistical challenges remain. Prisoners granted leave or temporary release must return to Sweden, with Swedish taxpayers covering transportation costs. "Leave or other temporary stays will not take place in Estonia," Strömmer said. "There will be the same opportunity for leave as in Sweden, but then it will take place in Sweden." The first transfers are expected to begin in the coming months, with Estonia's modern prison infrastructure offering a temporary, but costly, solution to Sweden's deepening crisis.

Department of Correctional Services is losing control of Swedish prisons

This agreement between Sweden and Estonia comes a few months after Swedish prison officers admitted that they are already losing control of Swedish prisons. According Department of Correctional Services data, there was a sharp rise in prison violence, with 1,333 inmate-on-inmate attacks recorded in 2023 – up from 1,198 in 2022 and 1,242 in 2021. Even more alarming, threats and assaults against prison staff surged to 2,354 cases in 2023, compared to 1,962 in 2022 and 1,744 in 2021. Christer Hallqvist, chairman of the Seko Prison, warned in February that inmates have effectively taken control. Staff shortages and a lack of resources have forced prison workers to distance themselves from prisoners, leaving them unable to prevent incidents. Hallqvist then warned that the situation would "end in disaster" unless politicians reassess their policies to allow the system to recover. "We are losing control. The inmates more or less have taken over the prisons," Hallqvist said at the time. "We have crossed the line. The politicians need to calm down with their decisions so we can catch up." Strömmer echoed a similar statement and acknowledged the crisis. "It is a very strained situation in Swedish penitentiary care," said Strömmer. "It is a result of serious development in terms of crime over many years and the expansion of the Correctional Service started far too late. Now, we are taking all the measures we can in order to achieve an expansion in the long term and in the short term to give the Correctional Service the conditions to handle the pressure you are experiencing here and now." More related stories can be found at BigGovernment.news. The video below details plans to shrink California's prison system as part of budget cuts.
This video is from the ZGoldenReport channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Alabama building a $1 billion, 4,000-bed prison – the most expensive prison in U.S. history.

Half of trans-identifying biological male inmates in Wisconsin have been convicted of sex crimes – so why are they allowed to move to women's prisons? Los Angeles Dems offer plan to "depopulate" county jails, claiming "systemic racism" causes them to fill up. California announces closure of two prisons due to budget constraints (but there's plenty of money for illegal immigrants). Dem senator introduces bill that will allow California's worst criminals to be released after serving 20 years in prison. Sources include: Infowars.com RMX.news Brighteon.com
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