The British government is considering sending prisoners to Estonia to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Discussions are currently open between the two countries.
The British government is considering the possibility of sending prisoners to serve their sentences in Estonia, due to the crisis of places in prisons, informs The Independent.
Britain’s Ministry of Justice and its Estonian counterpart are in talks about a potential partnership after Tallinn said it had enough places to take in prisoners from other countries.
“The UK and Estonia have a history of successful international cooperation”
Justice ministers from both countries, Shabana Mahmood and Liisa Pakosta, planned to discuss the plan at a Council of Europe event in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Thursday.
“The UK and Estonia have a history of successful international cooperation and such a partnership would bring new opportunities for collaboration,” Pakosta, the Estonian minister, told The Telegraph.
For the plan to be implemented, the Estonian government must obtain the approval of the Parliament.
British officials said the option was being increasingly considered because of the critical prison situation inherited by the previous Conservative Labor government.
Prisons in England and Wales are currently facing a severe shortage of places, with just 83 spaces available last month, while the number of inmates is expected to rise from around 89,000 to between 93,100 and 106,300 by March 2027.
Source: www.descopera.ro
