Swedish prisoners shocked in Estonia: Served food in dog bowls

Swedish prisoners who have been transferred to a prison in Tartu, Estonia, testify to a reality vastly different from that in the Swedish correctional system. The differences are reportedly noticeable in security, contact with the outside world, and especially the food. According to the inmates, food is served in small metal bowls that are compared to dog bowls.

According to information obtained by Expressen, the inmates are served soup or stew for dinner every day. The food is given in a small metal bowl and they are only provided with a spoon to eat with. They must also prepare their own breakfast, while the amount of bread and yogurt is controlled and weighed.

A relative states that several prisoners have lost weight and describes the food as a “catastrophe.” The differences are also evident in terms of security.

– They don’t get a plate or utensils, just a small metal bowl in which all the food is served. It looks like a dog bowl, and they only get a spoon because nothing but soup or stew is served, the person tells Expressen.

The prisoners described how they were transported in metal cages under the supervision of armed guards. There are walls and barbed wire around the facility, and the inmates are monitored around the clock. According to one prisoner, this means a much higher degree of control than in Swedish institutions.

The Swedish Prison and Probation Service confirms that the Estonian correctional system operates differently, but points out that the agreement between the countries is intended to guarantee basic rights. Sweden has also managed to negotiate away some Estonian security routines, such as the lights in cells being turned on every hour at night.

The effort to send prisoners from Sweden is part of the Tidö government’s campaign to relieve the heavily burdened Swedish Prison and Probation Service. The plan is for up to 600 Swedish prisoners to be able to serve their sentences in Estonia.