At the beginning of 2026, there were 1,618 detainees in Estonian prisons.
This is 37 fewer than at the same time last year.
There are approximately 3,000 prison places in Estonia.
Currently, 54% of the places are occupied.
Tallinn Prison has 1,292 places, of which 886 are occupied.
Viru Prison has 993 places, with 424 occupied.
Tartu Prison has 998 places, with 308 occupied.
This means that Tartu Prison is occupied at just over 30%.
According to Kirsi Pruudel, Head of Media Relations at Tallinn Prison, detainees are assigned to different prisons.
They are selected based on factors such as gender, age, and the reason for detention.
For example, all female prisoners are in Tallinn Prison.
Juvenile prisoners are in Viru Prison.
Additionally, detainees are placed in the prison closest to their home.
At the beginning of 2026, there were six juveniles in Estonian prisons.
Last year, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs proposed filling empty prison places with Swedish prisoners.
The prison rental agreement between Estonia and Sweden is currently being ratified.
In Estonia, the agreement has passed the first reading in the parliament.
Ratification is planned for this spring.
According to Pruudel, the first foreign prisoners should arrive in Estonia in the second half of this year.
Over the past ten years, the number of detainees in Estonian prisons has significantly decreased.
At the end of 2015, there were 2,921 people in Estonian prisons.