Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets expressed several reservations about Pakosta's proposal to rent out the vacant Tartu Prison to foreign countries facing a shortage of prison space.

"We have many questions regarding various issues," Läänemets said, first pointing to internal security.

Secondly, Läänemets raised concerns about the issue of Estonia's reputation, which, in his view, is even more fundamental.

"Should we envision Estonia as a country where others send their wrongdoers? Estonia's reputation should be that of a digital nation, a hub of innovation or something along those lines — not a place where people rejected by society are sent. I believe that over time, this would affect Estonia's image, and that's probably not for the better," Läänemets noted.

"Making money is one thing, but we also need to consider the broader impact," he added.

Justice Minister Pakosta told ERR on Saturday that preliminary calculations suggest Estonia could earn around €30 million annually by offering prison services, which would involve not only renting out prison space but also organizing the supervision of foreign prisoners.

This figure also raised questions for Läänemets: "In my view, another important issue is that if it's possible to make €30 million a year from these prisoners in Estonia, it is such a large sum that we have to ask what's wrong with this picture? With that kind of money, you can build quite a few good prisons in the U.K. or the Netherlands. So, something doesn't quite add up."

The interior minister acknowledged that, since Pakosta's idea has not yet been discussed in the government, he does not know if the €30 million comes solely from guarding the prisoners or if it also accounts for additional costs, such as healthcare and other services.

On Saturday, Pakosta told ERR that she has submitted a memo to the government, proposing that Estonia rent out its vacant prison spaces to countries whose own prisons are overcrowded. She specifically mentioned the U.K., the Netherlands and Sweden.

This would allow the now-empty Tartu Prison complex to be put to use, provide jobs for prison staff, ensure specialists remain ready for Estonia's own needs and generate income for the state. Pakosta also emphasized that ensuring Estonia's security would be of utmost importance, and strict rules would be imposed on the acceptance of foreign prisoners.

The Ministry of Justice's press service announced on Wednesday that Pakosta is on a two-day visit to Vilnius for a Council of Europe justice ministers' meeting. There, she will also meet with U.K. Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood to discuss potential opportunities to rent Tartu Prison to the British.

Following the publication of ERR's article, the Ministry of Justice provided an additional comment from Liisa Pakosta, in which she emphasized that building prisons is not a simple process.

"Shortcomings in understanding prisons and the nature of prison sentences in general are evident in Läänemets' comment about how a country can have money to rent prison spaces but not to build new prisons," Pakosta remarked.

According to Pakosta, she explained to Läänemets why some countries are willing to rent prison spaces rather than build their own.

"An individual can end up in prison practically overnight. A court decision to impose a prison sentence can be made very quickly in the case of a plea deal or very clear evidence. However, building a new prison is a long process, taking many years. Therefore, in countries where crime is rising quickly, there are indeed situations where prison space is needed much faster than new prisons can be built. In Estonia, the construction of the most recent Tallinn prison took nearly ten years," Pakosta explained.

She also criticized Läänemets for bringing Estonia's reputation into the discussion.

"Estonia's reputation as a country is actually very strong. We have low crime rates, and the number of inmates continues to decline. We are a very safe country, and no one has ever escaped from our modern prisons. We already supervise international war criminals, which has only enhanced our international standing. We have one of the best correctional justice systems in the world. To talk about potential harm to our reputation, especially when it comes to the work of highly qualified professionals, underestimates their expertise. Globally, experts are valued for their mastery of their field, and our modern, highly secure prisons are renowned precisely because we can offer top-level security."

Pakosta further added that the alternative would be to spend millions of euros from the state budget unnecessarily.

"I'm not sure the public would be pleased with the idea of paying millions in taxes to heat and maintain an empty building. Even less appealing would be a situation where, after giving up prison space, we'd have to rebuild prisons and train dozens of inexperienced officials in the future if the situation changes," she concluded.

The article was updated to add comments from Minister of Justice Liisa Pakosta.

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