Viru Prison inmate dies after serious illness
An inmate at the Viru Prison in Jõhvi passed away last week as the result of a serious illness, regional daily Virumaa teataja reports.
The death occurred on September 11, while more minor incidents Virumaa teataja has reported from Viru Prison were two separate fights between inmates, and a case where an inmate threw a dish of food at a canteen server.
Virumaa teataja reports a total of 1,715 people incarcerated in Estonia's three prisons at present, of whom 1,412 have been convicted while 303 are in custody awaiting trial.
The vast majority of the inmates (1,634) are men, and 81 are women, while a total of 212 people are serving their sentences in open prisons, and 31 prisoners are serving life sentences.
The circumstances of the above events are still being clarified, the paper says.
Estonia operates three main prisons, in Tallinn, in Tartu and in Jõhvi, Ida-Viru County.
Estonia's prisons have come under the spotlight recently following reports of a planned scheme to rent out unused capacity, mainly at the Tartu facility, to countries, the U.K. among them, experiencing a current crisis in prison spaces.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Postimees
