Theprisons inEstonia are operated by theEstonian Department of Prisons, which currently maintains three prisons around the country:Tallinn Prison,Tartu Prison andViru Prison.[1]
Prisons were used more frequently under theEstonian Soviet Socialist Republic, and people were held for longer periods of times. This use did not immediately fall after Estonia's independence, as it took time to reform policing and the criminal code, and crime rates grew in the meantime. Prisons were managed by theMinistry of Internal Affairs until August 1993, when they were transferred to theMinistry of Justice. A program began in 1996 to replace old Soviet prison buildings with new ones.Probation andparole were established in 1997 with the Probation Act.Tartu prison opened in 2002.[2]
In March 2011, there were 3,405 persons incarcerated inEstonia, and the number of prisoners per 100,000 residents were 254, which is the third highest rate in the EU. These figures include pre-trial detainees and remand prisoners.[3][4] It is, however, a much lower rate than in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the Estonian prison population reached almost 5,000 persons.[3]
| Year | Prisoners | Prison population per 100,000 inhabitants |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 4778 | 312 |
| 1993 | 4514 | 302 |
| 1994 | 4518 | 309 |
| 1995 | 4401 | 306 |
| 1996 | 4228 | 301 |
| 1997 | 4752 | 341 |
| 1998 | 4342 | 315 |
| 1999 | 4679 | 341 |
| 2000 | 4803 | 351 |
| 2001 | 4775 | 350 |
| 2002 | 4352 | 321 |
| 2003 | 4575 | 339 |
| 2004 | 4565 | 339 |
| 2005 | 4410 | 328 |
| 2006 | 4310 | 321 |
| 2007 | 3466 | 258 |
| 2008 | 3656 | 273 |
| 2009 | 3555 | 265 |
| 2010[6] | 3393 | 254 |
| 2011 | 3400 | 255 |
| 2012 | 3286 | 248 |
