Last year, nearly 900 people were placed under the supervision of a probation officer after being released from prison. 700 were assigned to community service, and 110 were under electronic surveillance.

The most common offenses of those on probation are driving under the influence (DUI) and physical abuse.

"81 percent of those on probation successfully completed it," said Prison Service chief Rait Kuuse. "But in the case of 19 percent, their own behavior led to probation officers petitioning the courts for [the probationer's] sentence to be served in prison."

According to Kuuse, probation consists of two parts: supervision and rehabilitation.

"We offer various social programs to both probationers and prisoners," he noted. "As a rule, these are group programs — some also individual — that allow us to discuss all the risks that a particular person has and find reasonable solutions for mitigating those risks and changing their behavior."

Citing studies, the Prison Service chief highlighted that probation can be an effective tool in reducing recidivism.

"With this in mind, the Ministry of Justice is also discussing whether and how to change the practices of conditional and early release or placing [individuals] on probation so that a higher percentage of those serving their sentences in prison could reach independent living via a probation period," he said.

Probation data is now fully digital, and this solution also places more responsibility on probationers themselves, said Liis Toom, chief IT and data management specialist at Tartu Prison.

"They can get to know their rights and obligations here, view their probation plan and receive info about when they need to go somewhere," Toom explained. "And this allows for increased cooperation as well as increased involvement in the entire process."

Although the number of probationers in Estonia has decreased, which in theory should mean that staff now have more time for their wards, in reality, the Prison Service was not exempt from budget cuts, Kuuse acknowledged.

"This year, we've had to cut personnel costs by a little over €700,000," he admitted. "Next year, we're facing €2.2 million in cuts, and the year after that, €4.4 million in cuts. Next year we will reduce the benefits paid to officials; this year, we laid off 20 probation officers."

Still under discussion, he added, is where to come up with the €4.4 million in cuts in 2027.

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