Options could include selling or even rent out one of Estonia's three prisons to other countries, as well as keeping things as they are.

The changes should be seen in the context of the need to make cuts; Minister of Justice Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) has submitted proposals to the government with regard to the prison system.

While Pakosta said it is too early to discuss the details, she confirmed that proposals are on the table.

She said: "There are several alternatives. We should first consider which direction the government as a whole wants to pursue."

"Off the top of my head, these range from selling a prison to conserving or renting it out, all the way to, so to speak, turning it into an 'Airbnb,'" Pakosta went on.

Beyond that: If I tell you something now and you include it in the piece, it might appear as if a ready-made solution is in place. But that would be misleading, clearly," Pakosta added.

Selling a prison could include the right for its conversion – for instance for social housing, or even a hotel, she added.

"Aging prisons around the world are often refitted as educational institutions or hotels, as their structural layout is quite similar in both cases," she continued.

Finding options for making cuts within the prison system is a part of the government's wider budgetary austerity plans, the minister noted.

In the case of prisons, since there is not full occupancy, this provides scope for balancing revenues with costs, Pakosta said, also highlighting the positive aspect in terms of Estonian people being largely a law-abiding nation.

In any case, whichever decision the government makes on Estonia's prisons, legislative changes will need to be made, Pakosta added.

"No option can proceed without that," she said.

Estonia has three prisons, in Tallinn (quite a new facility, with 1,292 inmates at present), Tartu (993 inmates), and Viru (located in Jõhvi and with 1,049 inmates).

As of the end of last year, there were 1,841 convicted persons, detainees, and persons under administrative arrest in the above prisons and other detention centers, while over the past decade, the number of incarcerated has fallen by 1,250, a trend the Ministry of Justice predicts to continue.

The reasons for this fall include alternative penalties levied on minors and young offenders, generally shorter prison sentences and detention periods, and a higher rate of release on probation.

Renting out prison space in Estonia could allow countries with overcrowded prison systems, such as the U.K., to house some of their inmates here instead.

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