Tartu Prison plans to hire more than 300 staff to handle Swedish inmates

Training will be organized by the Prison Service, and starting pay is €2,400 per month.

The Prison Service requires new recruits to have citizenship, proficiency in Estonian, a secondary education, a clean background, and — if they are to wear a uniform — the ability to pass a physical fitness test.

Recruitment efforts will focus on career changers and people entering the labor market. If employees continue to develop in their roles — for example, by obtaining escort authorization or a firearms permit — their salary could rise to €3,000 per month.

Following the Swedish parliament's approval on Wednesday of a prison lease agreement between Estonia and Sweden, the first Swedish inmates could arrive in Estonia in August. By next year, there could be up to 600 of them in Tartu.

For the agreement to take effect, it still needs to be ratified by the Estonian parliament (Riigikogu). According to the plan, this could happen on June 10.

A day later, the government could decide on the budgetary aspects of the prison lease, and for the agreement to enter into force, President Alar Karis must formally proclaim the international treaty. The agreement will take effect after the parties exchange diplomatic notes.

"From there, practical steps will begin," said Tiina Unuks, head of the Prison Service's Department for the Organization of Prison Operations.

"We are working on the assumption that the first Swedish inmates could arrive at Tartu Prison in August," Unuks said.

"Inmates would arrive gradually. Starting from the agreement's entry into force in August, about 100 prisoners would come, with up to 200 in Tartu by the end of the year, and by around the same time next year the agreement foresees up to 600 Swedish inmates being housed in Tartu," she added.

Current inmates held in Tartu Prison will be transferred to Viru and Tallinn prisons after the agreement is ratified, allowing time to refurbish facilities and carry out renovations before the Swedish inmates arrive.

Unuks estimates that relocating Tartu's current inmates could be completed within two months. The exact number of prisoners to be transferred to Estonia is not yet clear, she noted.

To facilitate communication with Swedish inmates, the Prison Service plans to provide English-language training for officers, as most inmates transferred from Sweden are expected to speak English.

Translation devices will also be used to enable basic communication, and interpreters will be available if necessary. Around 10 Swedish officials are also expected to come to Tartu to assist when needed.

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