Estonia offers empty prison spaces to UK where prison population has reached record high
Estonia has offered some of its empty prison spaces to the UK government as record numbers of prisoners are being held in Britain amid deepening capacity shortages.
This week around 2,000 prisoners are to be released as part of a controversial early release scheme.
While there are currently no agreements in place, Estonian Minister for Justice Liisa Pakosta told the BBC that her country was in a position to offer its assistance should the new Labour government be agreeable.
The prison population of England and Wales reached a record number last week with Prime Minister Keir Starmer aiming blame at the previous Tory government for “not building enough prisons”.
According to figures released by the British Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last Friday, the number of inmates had increased by 1,159 since 2 August, which is the week when the UK riots began in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of three little girls, and now stands at 88,521: the highest figures on record.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the Estonian Minister for Justice said, “The UK and Estonia have a history of successful international cooperation, and such a partnership would create further opportunities to benefit and learn from each other.”