Estonia heads EU in prison population
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The number of prison inmates has been rising steadily in Estonia. There are currently 339 prisoners incarcerated for every 100,000 of population, putting the country at the top of the per capita lists for the entire EU.
According to a report in the newspaper Eesti Päevaleht at the weekend, Estonia's neighbours in the Baltic States - Latvia and Lithuania - come right behind the country in the per capita statistics.
The Finnish prison population is a great deal smaller, at 71 persons per 100,000 inhabitants. The figure is one of the lowest in the European Union.
There are currently some 4,600 prisoners in Estonia's jails.
The country's Justice Ministry has estimated that the maintenance of each prisoner costs the State around EEK 6,000 (roughly EUR 380) a month. This is approximately the same as the average monthly wage in Estonia.
The explanation given for the increase in the number of people serving custodial sentences in Estonia is that the police and the courts have increased their efficiency in recent years. Estonia and its Baltic neighbours joined the EU in May 2004.
Helsingin Sanomat
