European Committee on Crime Problems
(CDPC)
PC-CP (2026)6
English
SPACE I - 2026
"COUNCIL OF EUROPE ANNUAL PENAL STATISTICS
- SURVEY ON THE POPULATION OF PENAL INSTITUTIONS"
Your country
Estonia
SPACE I – SURVEY 2026
Conducted on behalf of the Council of Europe by
Prof. Marcelo F. Aebi (PhD), Raphaële Arlettaz (Mlaw) & Edoardo Cocco (MLaw)
University of Lausanne
PC-CP Website: www.coe.int/prison SPACE Website: www.unil.ch/space
Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics SPACE I: Scope & Guidelines
Scope of the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics SPACE I: Population of Penal Institutions
●
These statistics encompass the entire population of inmates under the responsibility of the Prison Administration.
●
The data collected refers to all types of penal institutions, including:
○
Institutions for inmates not serving a final sentence (pre-trial detainees), institutions for inmates serving custodial sanctions and measures (sentenced inmates), and institutions for juvenile offenders (minors).
○
Diverse institutional settings such as closed, semi-open, or open facilities, which might include semi-custodial institutions or work farms.
●
SPACE I does NOT refer to persons serving non-custodial sanctions and measures in the community (probationers) who are under the responsibility of probation agencies. Such data are collected through the SPACE II questionnaire. If you cannot avoid including that data in your answers, please state it in the comments. That would help us avoid double counting when comparing both questionnaires.
Purpose of the SPACE I questionnaire
●
This questionnaire seeks to consistently gather and compare data from all member states of the Council of Europe.
●
To enhance the accuracy of the comparisons, the questionnaire incorporates questions regarding the specifics of certain categories and the way in which the data are collected for the statistics (metadata).
●
The questionnaire also proposes definitions as well as some rules of inclusion and exclusion. National correspondents answering the questionnaire are kindly requested to align their national categories to those proposed by SPACE I to facilitate comprehensive European-level comparisons. Whenever that is not feasible, they are asked to indicate the discrepancies in the comments.
●
Any additional insights about the nuances of each national legal system will be highly appreciated and can also be indicated in the relevant comments’ sections.
Instructions for Completing the SPACE I questionnaire
●
Please ensure clarity in your responses. For each item, choose only one of the following answers:
NAP
Not applicable. Choose this if the question is irrelevant because the notion it refers to does not exist in your criminal justice system.
NA
Not available. Choose this if you do not have the figures, but the item exists in your criminal justice system.
0
Zero. Choose this if the number is zero at the reference date and the item exists in your criminal justice system.
#
A specific number (other than 0): Use this to indicate the actual number as of the reference date.
●
Avoid using symbols like “–”, “/”, “---” or similar.
●
Ensure that no item remains unanswered.
●
Answers left blank will be interpreted as referring to an item that is not available (NA)
●
The distinction between not available (NA) and not applicable (NAP) is paramount to understand the figures in the questionnaire. Please do not forget to indicate each the item that is not applicable because it does not exist in your criminal justice system
Abbreviations used in the SPACE I questionnaire
●
The following abbreviations are used throughout the SPACE I questionnaire:
PA
Prison Administration (plural: PAs).
e.g.
(exempli gratia): For example.
i.e.
(id est): That is to say. Used to introduce a phrase that restates or clarifies the previous statement.
Deadline
●
Kindly submit the filled-out questionnaire by 10 November 2026. Send it to the following addresses:
[email protected] (copy to
[email protected])
Contact us
●
If you have any question concerning the questionnaire, please contact
Mr. Edoardo Cocco (
[email protected]), tel. +41 21 692 46 43
Prof. Marcelo F. Aebi (
[email protected]), tel. +41 21 692 46 43
Section One: Indicators of stock on 31st January 2026
Structure of Section One
Instructions for completing Section One and related questions
General remarks
●
Stock indicators refer to the situation on 31 January 2026. If you use any other date of reference, please state it in the comments
●
The main stock indicators refer to the number and characteristics of inmates, capacity of penal institutions and staff of the prison administration.
●
We urge National Correspondents to align your data with the following definitions and instructions as closely as possible. When this requires adjusting the figures published by your prison administration, please indicate the adjustments in the comments.
●
If, for any reason, such adjustments are unfeasible or if your prison administration restricts you from making them, kindly answer NO the relevant question below and detail the discrepancies in the comments.
General instructions
●
Ensure that figures provided do not include double counting.
●
For all items, if the information is not available, please indicate NA.
●
For all items, if the information required refers to a notion that does not exist in your country, please indicate NAP (not applicable).
●
Please provide clarifications or explanations in the comments.
Definitions
1
Penal institutions
All facilities used for the confinement of persons arrested for, charged with, convicted of, or sentenced for an offence, including closed, semi-closed and open institutions
2
Inmates
All persons confined in penal institutions (i.e., persons arrested for, charged with, convicted of, or sentenced for an offence, and placed in a penal institution)
Of which
2.1.
Inmates not serving a final sentence
This self-defining category is often referred to as “pre-trial detainees”, “detainees on remand”, “non-sentenced detainees”, or “remand inmates”
Of which
2.1.1
Inmates untried
Inmates for whom a judicial decision has not been reached yet
2.1.2
Inmates found guilty but without a final sentence
In some countries (e.g., the UK) a defendant is first declared guilty (or not guilty) by a magistrate, jury, or judge and, in a second time, the judge passes a sentence
2.1.3
Inmates sentenced pending appeal
Refers to persons who received a sentence but have appealed or who are within the statutory limit to do so
2.1.4
Inmates in anticipated execution of a sanction
In some countries (e.g., Switzerland) a defendant can, under specific circumstances, request to start serving a custodial sanction before receiving a final sentence (and hence have access to the regime foreseen for sentenced inmates, which is less strict than that for pre-trial detainees)
2.1.
Sentenced inmates
3
Sentenced inmates by the principal offence included in their sentence
Under the principal offence rule, only the most severe crime is considered in instances where an individual is sentenced for multiple offences. Typically, the severity of an offence is judged by the maximum penalty defined by law.
Q1-1
Does your country apply the principal offence rule?
NO
Q1-2
If NO, does your country apply the count-all-offences rule (i.e., all offences that an individual has been sentenced for are counted, without prioritising their severity). If your answer is NO, please explain the rule applied in the comments
YES
4
Age
4.1.
Average age of the prison population
Correspond to the sum of the ages of all inmates divided by the total number of inmates.
4.2.
Median age of the prison population
The median is the value that divides the data in two equal groups so that 50% of the inmates are above the median and 50% are below it. To calculate the median, first sort inmates by age in ascending order. The median age is the age of the inmate located in the middle of this list. If there is an even number of inmates, the median is the average of the two middle ages.
4.3.
Age and criminal responsibility
Table A below presents the information currently available for all Council of Europe member states regarding their ages of (a) criminal responsibility, (b) minimal age for the application of custodial sanctions and measures, and (c) criminal majority.
If the information reported in the table is inaccurate, please correct it in the comments.
5
Citizenship
5.1.
Nationals and foreigners
National inmates are those with the citizenship of the country in which they are detained, while foreigners are those who do not have that citizenship
5.2.
Foreigners with a permanent resident status
These are non-citizens lawfully authorized to reside permanently in the country.
Q1-3
Does your “foreigners with a permanent resident status” definition align with the above? If NO, please provide your definition in the comments
YES
6
Capacity of penal institutions
The capacity of penal institutions refers to the number of inmates that can be accommodated inside them. It is typically expressed as the number of places, knowing that each place represents the space required to accommodate one inmate respecting the criteria set out in the European Prison Rules. A basic distinction is made between design capacity and operational capacity.
●
Design capacity refers to the number of inmates that a penal institution was originally designed to accommodate. It is typically based on the architect's intended number of occupants.
●
Operational capacity is a flexible metric subject to change over time and considers additional factors beyond the prison's original design. These factors can include shifts in policy regarding the acceptable number of inmates per cell, modifications to the prison's physical structure, or temporary measures like the use of extra beds in cells or communal spaces.
The total capacity of penal institutions reported in the questionnaire should correspond to the number of places originally intended for the facilities (design capacity)
Q1-4
Does your “total capacity of penal institutions” definition align with the above? If NO, please provide your definition in the comments
YES
Prison administrations apply specific rules for estimating the space required for an inmate. Table B below presents the rules applied in the member states that provided such information when answering previous SPACE reports. If the information reported in the table is inaccurate, please correct it in the comments
The questionnaire also asks for the total number of cells available in penal institutions
Q1-5
Does the capacity of penal institutions allow inmates to be accommodated during the night in individual cells?
NO
7
Staff
Include:
●
All personnel involved in the appropriate functioning of the prison administration
●
Include both full-time and part-time staff. For part-time personnel, use “Ful Time Equivalents (FTE)”. Examples: Two employees, each working 50% of the regular hours, are viewed as one FTE; an employee at 50% regular hours corresponds to 0.5 FTE.
●
Includes persons employed by the prison administration (a) working inside penal institutions and (b) working outside penal institutions (e.g., the General Headquarters of some PAs are placed in premises situated outside any penal institution)
Exclude:
●
Some countries have private prisons with independent staff. Typically, PAs will not count the persons working in these prisons as part of their staff. However, if that is the case for your PA, you can indicate their number in Table 3.
●
There are PAs that outsource some services to private entities (e.g., transportation of inmates, security at the entrance of penal institutions, or cleaning services). Typically, PAs will not count the persons working in these entities as part of their staff. However, if that is the case for your PA, you can indicate their number in Table 3.
●
Probation staff (i.e., staff belonging to the probation agencies that are responsible for the supervision of community sanctions and measures). This staff should be counted in the SPACE II questionnaire. However, some countries only have one entity responsible both for inmates and probationers. If that is the case four your PA and these persons are included in your total staff, please indicate their in the relevant in Table 3.
Q1-5
Does your “staff” definition align with the above?
YES
Q1-6
Does your “total number of staff” include the following categories
6.1
Staff employed by the prison administration working inside penal institutions
YES
6.2
Staff employed by the prison administration working outside penal institutions
YES
6.3
Staff not employed by the prison administration working in private prisons
NAP
6.4
Staff not employed by the prison administration working in private entities that deliver services outsourced by the prison administration
NO
6.4.1
If YES, which are the services outsourced by your prison administration?
Medical personnel are not employed by the PA, but by local hospitals.
Educators (teachers) are not employed by the PA. Both categories are NOT counted in the number of employees.
6.4
Staff working in probation agencies (in charge of probationers serving community sanctions and measures)
NO
Table A (Metadata): Age and criminal responsibility
The Table below presents the information currently available on the ages of (a) criminal responsibility, (b) minimal age for the application of custodial sanctions and measures, and (c) criminal majority by country. If the information reported in the table is incorrect, please correct it in the comments.
Country
Age of criminal responsibility
Minimal age for the application of custodial sanctions and measures
Age of criminal majority
Albania
14
14
18
Andorra
12
12
12
Armenia
14/16
16
18
Austria
14
14
18
Azerbaijan
14
14
18
Belgium
16/18
16/18
18
BH: BiH (total)
BH: BiH (st. level)
BH: Fed. BiH
BH: Rep. Srpska
14
14
18
Bulgaria
14
14
18
Croatia
14
14
18
Cyprus
14
16
18
Czech Rep.
15
15
18
Denmark
15
15
18
Estonia
14
14
18
Finland
15
15
18
France
13
16
18
Georgia
15
15
18
Germany
14
14
18
Greece
15
15
18
Hungary
14
14
18
Iceland
15
15
18
Ireland
12
12
18
Italy
14
14
18
Latvia
14
14
18
Liechtenstein
14
14
18
Lithuania
14
14
18
Luxembourg
16
16
18
Malta
14
14
18
Moldova
14
14
18
Monaco
13
13
18
Montenegro
14
16
18
Netherlands
12
12
18
North Macedonia
14
16
18
Norway
15
15
18
Poland
13
15
17
Portugal
16
16
21
Romania
14
14
18
San Marino
14
14
18
Serbia (Republic of)
14
14
18
Slovak Rep.
14
14
18
Slovenia
14
16
18/21
Spain (total)
14
14
18
Spain (State Adm.)
14
14
18
Spain (Catalonia)
14
14
18
Sweden
15
15
21
Switzerland
10
15
18
Türkiye
12
12
18
Ukraine
14
16
18
UK: Engl. & Wales
10
15
18
UK: North. Ireland
10
10
18
UK: Scotland
12
16
21
Table B (Metadata): Capacity in places - calculation of the space per inmate
The Table below presents the information currently available on how the space per inmate is calculated in several prison administrations. If the information reported in the table is incorrect, please correct it in the comments. If your prison administration is not included in the Table and you have the relevant information, please report it also in the comments.
Country
Denmark
Capacity calculated from 4 sqm/inmate
Georgia
The capacity of penal institutions in Georgia covers cells that can be occupied by one inmate or by multiple inmates (2 to 4 inmates).
Italy
In Italy, the current regular capacity of penal establishments is calculated on the basis of a Decree of the Ministry of Health of 1975 relevant to civil houses; the parameters of said Ministerial Decree were wholly adopted by the Penitentiary Administration: in particular, the surface foreseen for a single room is 9 square metres, plus 5 square metres for each further bed in multiple occupancy rooms.
Netherlands
Prison capacity represents the operational capacity of the adult prison system.
Romania
The capacity of penitentiary institutions is calculated at 4 square meters, according to the Order of the Minister of Justice No. 2772/2017.The capacity of penitentiary hospitals is calculated at 7 square metres, and it is not considered as a capacity of penitentiary (accommodation) institutions, being intended only for the hospitalization of prisoners.
Slovakia
General remark about the capacity: The total accommodation capacity is calculated according to legally determined accommodation area: 3.5 m² for accused/sentenced man; 4 m² for accused/sentenced juvenile and accused/sentenced woman. The exceptions are the Remand Prison and Prison Bratislava and the Prison Dubnica nad Váhom, where the accommodation capacity in reconstructed areas is determined on 4 m² for one accused/sentenced person.
The accommodation area of a cell or a room is determined from the total area of the cell/room after deduction of the area occupied by the sanitary facility placed in the cell/room, the separated toilet placed in the cell/room, the area over which is the clear height of the cell/room less than 1 300 mm, the area covered with built-in furniture, and the area for windows and doors. The accommodation area of the cell/room includes the area of the bow window and recess, if they are at the same time at least 1 200 mm wide, 300 mm deep and 2 000 mm high from the floor.
In prison facilities it is possible to place an inmate separately either when the capacities are currently created in the particular prison or the prison governor decides so, in order to protect the safety of the inmate or other persons or for other serious reason. It follows that rooms or cells are not built with regard to separate accommodation.
Spain
Capacity means the places available in residential modules.
Residential module cells are designed to house two inmates.
Although there are enough places to meet the demand of any person who wants to be alone in a cell, not the entire prison population is located individually due to reasons such as: the geographical distribution of the prisons, the transitory execution of refurbishment works and improvement, the willingness to share people's cells, etc.
Sweden
It is not possible to exclude the capacity for inmates in remand prisons who are detained for other reasons than suspicion of crime, for example inmates taken in custody awaiting deportation. Therefore, the capacity for these inmates is included in the capacity for inmates not serving a final sentence (pre-trial detainees).
Switzerland
In the Custody Survey, it is not possible to differentiate between single cells and other cells. In principle, sentenced persons should have access to an individual cell. In reality, this is not guaranteed in all institutions of deprivation of liberty and is adapted to the needs. For those who have not yet been sentenced, the provision of a single cell is not guaranteed.
Türkiye
There are single and multiple cells and according to security issues inmates could stay in single cells. Nevertheless, in juvenile institutions, there are single cells which children could accommodate during the night for sleeping.
Ukraine
According to paragraph 36 of section VI of the Instruction on the Procedure for Conducting a Technical Inventory of Real Estate Objects, approved by order of the State Committee for Construction, Architecture and Housing Policy of Ukraine dated May 24, 2001 No. 127, as amended by order of the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine dated 26 July 2018 No. 186, when calculating the area of objects, the area in houses for keeping convicts of block, barracks and cell types for convicts is determined as the sum of the areas of all the main functional premises.
In accordance with paragraph 38 of section VI of the instructions, the living area of the cells in houses for the detention of convicts and persons taken into custody is determined by the dimensions measured between the finished surfaces of walls and partitions at a level of 1.10-1.30 m from the floor, without taking into account the area of the sanitary.
The information is provided in accordance with the order of the Department for the Execution of Criminal Punishments dated April 13, 2020 No. 80 / OD-20 “On Establishing the Filling of Institutions for the Execution of Punishments and Pre-trial Detention Centers”
UK: England and Wales
Useable Operational Capacity: This is the sum of all establishments’ operational capacity less 2,000 places. This is known as the operating margin and reflects the constraints imposed by the need to provide separate accommodation for different classes of prisoner, i.e. by sex, age, security category, conviction status, single cell risk assessment and also due to geographical distribution.
Table C (Metadata): Categories included in the total number of inmates
Instructions:
* Item 1 - Persons held in police stations or other similar types of investigative institutions before trial: refers to persons held in institutions other than the regular prison facilities. In particular, these include police stations, centres for temporary detention in order to put the person at the disposal of the judicial authorities (e.g. izolâtor vremennogo soderžaniâ [UKR], investigative detention facilities [BGR], cells kept by the border guards), or any other similar institution. Please fill in item 1.1.1 only if these persons are included in your total prison population (item 1.0).
** Item 7 - Persons under security measures/private detention for dangerous offenders: concerns inmates detained under special measures. These prisoners are usually defined as “dangerous offenders”. The measures may take different names such as security measure, secure prevention detention or preventive supervision. According to the Recommendation CM/Rec(2014) 31 (Strasbourg, 19 February 2014): a dangerous offender is a person who has been convicted of a very serious sexual or very serious violent crime against persons and who presents a high likelihood of re-offending with further very serious sexual or very serious violent crimes against persons.
C.1. Does the total number of inmates include the following categories?
• YES
• NO
• NAP: Not applicable
If YES, how many?
1.
Persons held in police stations or other similar types of investigative institutions before trial*
NO
2.
Persons held in custodial institutions/units for juvenile offenders
YES
5
3.
Persons placed in educational institutions/units for juvenile offenders
NO
4.
Persons held in institutions for drug-addicted offenders outside penal institutions
NO
5.
Persons with psychiatric disorders held in psychiatric institutions or hospitals outside penal institutions
NO
6.
Asylum seekers or illegal aliens held for administrative reasons
NO
7.
Persons under security measures/private detention for dangerous offenders**
NO
Of which:
7.1
Persons held as not criminally responsible by the court
NO
7.2
Persons held as totally or partially criminally responsible by the court and who have been sentenced
NO
8.
Persons held in public-private partnership prisons
NAP
9.
Persons held in private prisons
NAP
10.
Persons held in other private facilities
NAP
11.
Persons under electronic monitoring (please specify in the comments below the type of surveillance applied; e.g. electronic bracelet, and whether they are counted in the SPACE II questionnaire)
NO
12.
Persons serving other community sanctions and measures and counted in the SPACE II questionnaire (if yes, please specify why in the comments below)
NO
C.2. Are young children permitted to reside with their incarcerated mothers in penal institutions?
YES
If YES:
1. How many children are living with their mothers inside penal institutions?
0
2. Age Limit for Cohabitation: Specify the maximum age at which children are allowed to stay with their mothers inside penal institutions.
3
Comments to Definitions and Tables on Metadata (A, B & C)
Table C.1.
Question 2. Juvenile inmates in Estonia are defined as prisoners between the ages 14-17 (included).
Question 3. Educational institutions for juvenile offenders (special schools) are managed by the Ministry of Education and Research. The court may take the decision to send juvenile offenders into a special educational institution, however these schools are not part of the penal system.
Question 5. Psychiatric institutions outside penal institutions are managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs. The court may order coercive psychiatric treatment of the person. When a person is in day care coercive psychiatric in-patient treatment outside penal institution he/she is not an inmate or a probationer.
Question 6. Asylum seekers or illegal aliens are held in closed institution which is managed by Police and Border Guard Board (Ministry of the Interior).
Question 11. Electronic surveillance is determined by the court and a person under electronic monitoring is a probationer in our system.
Table C.2.
Question 1. Children can stay in prison with their mothers up to the age of 3 (included).
Table 1.1 Indicators of stock on 31st January 2026: Inmates (Part 1 of 2)
NI1.1. Characteristics of inmates on 31st January 2026 (Part 1 of 2)
Numbers
1
Number of inmates (total)
1635
Of which: Inmates by legal status
1.1
Inmates not serving a final sentence
417
Of which: Detainees
1.1.1
untried
315
1.1.2
found guilty but without a final sentence
NAP
1.1.3
sentenced pending appeal
81
1.1.4
in anticipated execution of a sanction
NAP
1.1.5
unknown/other
21
1.2
Sentenced inmates
1218
1.3
Unknown
0
Of which: Inmates by gender
1.4
Men
1565
1.5
Women
70
1.6
Other
0
1.7
Unknown
0
Of which: Inmates by citizenship
1.8
Nationals
1444
Of which: By legal status
1.8.1
not serving a final sentence
349
1.8.2
sentenced
1095
1.9
Foreigners
191
Of which (a): By resident status in the country
1.9.1
with legal resident status
72
Of which (B): By EU citizenship
1.9.2
citizens of an EU country
51
Of which (B): By legal status
1.9.3
not serving a final sentence
68
1.9.4
sentenced
123
1.10
Unknown
0
Of which: Inmates by age
1.11
Adults
1630
Of which: Aged
1.11.1
18 to 25 years
126
1.11.2
26 to 49 years
1141
1.11.3
50 to 64 years
314
1.11.4
65 years and over
49
1.11.5
Unknown
0
1.12
Minors
5
1.13
Average age of the prison population
41
1.14
Median age of the prison population
40
Table 1.2 Indicators of stock on 31st January 2026: Inmates (Part 2 of 2)
1.2. Characteristics of inmates on 31st January 2026 (Part 2 of 2)
Category
Not serving a final sentence*
Foreigners
Minors
Total inmates
Gender
Men
A
404
B
179
C
5
(=1.4)
1565
Women
D
13
E
12
F
0
(=1.5)
70
Other
G
0
H
0
I
0
(=1.6)
0
Unknown
J
0
K
0
L
0
(=1.7)
0
Total inmates
(=1.1)
417
(=1.9)
191
(=1.12)
5
(=1)
1635
Table 1.3 Indicators of stock on 31st January 2026: Sentenced inmates
1.3. Characteristics of sentenced inmates on 31st January 2026
Numbers
1.2
Sentenced inmates (=1.2)
1218
Of which: By principal offence included in their sentence
1.2.1
Homicide (including attempts)
169
1.2.2
Assault and battery
364
1.2.3
Rape
81
1.2.4
Other types of sexual offences
83
1.2.5
Robbery
84
1.2.6
Theft
260
1.2.7
Economic / financial offences
5
1.2.8
Drug offences
340
1.2.9
Terrorism
0
1.2.10
Road traffic offences
254
1.2.11
Other offences
448
1.2.12
Total (=1.2)
1218
Of which: By length of the sentence imposed
1.2.13
Less than 1 month
3
1.2.14
From 1 month to less than 3 months
7
1.2.15
From 3 months to less than 6 months
27
1.2.16
Form 6 months to less than 1 year
51
1.2.17
From 1 year to less than 3 years
282
1.2.18
From 3 years to less than 5 years
276
1.2.19
From 5 years to less than 10 years
352
1.2.20
From 10 years to less than 20 years
183
1.2.21
20 years and over
12
1.2.22
Life imprisonment
25
1.2.23
Security measures
NAP
1.2.24
Death sentence
NAP
1.2.25
Other
NAP
1.2.26
Total (=1.2)
1218
Table 2. Indicators of stock on 31st January 2026: Penal institutions
2. Penal institutions
Numbers
2
Capacity of penal institutions
2.1
Number of places (total)
3041
Of which: in
2.1.1
institutions for inmates not serving a final sentence
NAP
2.1.2
institutions for sentenced inmates
NAP
2.1.3
institutions for juvenile offenders (minors)
188
2.1.4
other types of institutions
NAP
2.2
Number of cells (total)
1681
Table 3. Indicators of stock on 31st January 2026: Staff
3. Staff
Numbers
3
Staff: Total in Full Time Equivalents (FTE)
912,4
Of which
3.1
Staff employed by the Prison Administration (PA)
912,4
Of which: Staff working
3.1.1
inside penal institutions
808
Of which:
3.1.1.1
Executive and senior managers
7
3.1.1.2
Custodial staff
574
Of which:
3.1.1.2.1
Dedicated solely to custody
478
3.1.1.2.2
Other custodial staff
96
3.1.1.3
Medical and paramedical
NA
3.1.1.4
Responsible for evaluation including psychologists
9,8
3.1.1.5
Responsible for educational activities (studies)
4
3.1.1.6
Responsible for vocational activities (job skills)
28
3.1.1.7
Other staff
185,2
3.1.2
outside penal institutions
104,4
3.1.3
other
NAP
3.2
Staff not employed by the Prison Administration (PA)
NAP
Of which: Staff
3.2.1
working in private prisons
NAP
3.2.2
working in private entities that deliver services outsourced by the prison administration
NAP
3.2.3
in charge of probationers serving community sanctions and measures (probation staff)
NAP
Comments to Section One, Tables 1 to 3
Question 1.2. Principal offence rule is not used – a prisoner is counter under every offence that they are convicted for. Data is incomplete for some convictions where old convictions are merged with new convictions. In that case data is not available for offences sentenced with older convictions.
Table 2. Design capacity – in previous years Estonia has reported a smaller number. In Estonia we have three prisons with total design capacity of 3041, but some of the sections are not in use due to low number of prisoners. Operational capacity was 2122 (31.01.2026). In addition, there are 237 places in open prisons.
The capacity for pre-trial detainees and sentenced prisoners is not strictly defined, the conditions of the cells are the same for sentenced prisoners and pre-trial detainees.
Table 3.
3.1 Staff employed by the Prison Administration (PA) = all staff, including Ministry of Justice Department of Prisons (27,4 FTE). Excluding probation officers.
3.1.1.3: Medical services are provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs and their staff are not part of the provided number.
3.1.1.5: teachers are employed by the ministry of education and are not part of the provided number.
3.1.2 outside penal institutions: counted roles that functionally do not need to be located in prison for day-to-day operation. Includes for example: Ministry of Justice Department of Prisons, IT department, financial and procurement, HR and external communication department.
Section Two: Indicators of flow for the year 2025
Structure of Section Two
Instructions for completing Section Two and related questions
General remarks
Flow indicators refer to the movements and changes in the prison population over a full year and help understand the dynamics of that population, for example the management of prison capacities. Its main indicators are the admissions and exits from penal institutions, the length of imprisonment and the costs of imprisonment during the year or reference.
One of the primary objectives of SPACE is to assure the uniformity and comparability of indicators gathered from various prison administrations. To achieve this:
• The instructions provided herein are derived from a thorough examination of previous SPACE reports. They encapsulate the predominant practices adopted by most prison administrations when compiling their statistics.
• For National Correspondents in countries with differing practices: We urge you to align your data with these guidelines as closely as possible. When this requires adjusting the figures published by your prison administration, please annotate them in the comments box at the end of this section.
• If, for any reason, such adjustments are unfeasible or if your prison administration restricts you from making them, kindly answer NO the relevant question below and detail the discrepancies in the comments box at the end of this section.
By diligently following these guidelines, we can collectively ensure that the data collected is both comprehensive and comparable, enhancing the quality and utility of the SPACE project.
General Instructions
• Reference Date: Ensure all data are for the entire year 2025.
• Ensure that figures provided do not include double counting (e.g., inmates moving between institutions).
• For all items, if the information is not available, please indicate NA.
• For all items, if the information required refers to a notion that does not exist in your country, please indicate NAP (not applicable)
• Please provide clarifications or explanations in the comments section of the table.
Detailed definitions and instructions
1. Admissions
• Counting unit: The admission into any penal institution (the same person can be admitted more than once during the year).
• Rules of inclusion/exclusion
• Included:
◦ Admissions of inmates not serving a final sentence (pre-trial detainees).
◦ Admissions of persons who have been found guilty but not yet sentenced.
◦ Admissions of persons who have been sentenced and have lodged an appeal or are within the statutory time limit to do so.
• Excluded:
◦ Admissions following transfers between institutions.
◦ Admission following temporary removals for judicial appearances.
◦ Admission following temporary removals for hospital treatments.
◦ Returns after prison leaves.
◦ Returns after escape and subsequent re-incarceration.
• Questions
Q2-1.1
Does your "admissions" definition align with the above?
YES
Q2.1.2
Do you count suspects in police cells if they remain at least one day?
NO
Q2.1.2.2
If YES, how many were admitted in 2025?
2. Releases
• Counting unit: The release from any penal institution (the same person can be released more than once during the year).
• Rules of inclusion/exclusion
• Included:
◦ Releases of inmates belonging to any of the categories included in the “admissions” section above.
◦ Releases with and without conditions (conditional and unconditional releases)
◦ Transfers to another country.
• Excluded:
◦ Transfers between local penal institutions.
◦ Temporary removals for judicial appearances.
◦ Temporary removals for hospital treatments.
◦ Placements in other types of penal institutions.
Q2-2.1
Does your "releases" definition align with the above?
YES
3. Deceased Inmates
• Counting unit: The person (the inmate who died).
• Explanation: Some prison administrations count only the inmates who died inside penal institutions, while others include those who died outside, often under some conditions that can vary from country to country. To ensure comparability in the SPACE report, data for these distinct categories are requested separately. Cause of death is requested only for inmates who died inside penal institutions.
Q2-3.1
Does your "deceased inmates" definition align with the above?
YES
4. Inmates who escaped from penal institutions
• Counting unit: The person (the inmate who escaped, also known as escapee).
• Explanation: Each escapee is counted individually, even in a collective breakout (the same person could escape more than once during the year).
Q2-4.1
Does your "escapee" definition align with the above?
YES
Q2.4.2
Do you count inmates who arrived late from a prison leave as escapees?
NO
Q2.4.2.2
If YES, how many are included in the figures provide for escapees in 2025?
5. Length of Imprisonment
• Counting unit: Total number of days spent in penal institutions.
• Explanation: This figure is typically calculated by administrative services tasked with determining the costs of imprisonment.
• Rules of inclusion/exclusion
◦ Included:
▪ Days spent in custody by all persons who were admitted in penal institutions at least one day during the year.
▪ Detention periods awaiting a court decision and time spent serving sentences.
▪ All categories of persons deprived of freedom included in Part One of this questionnaire.
Q2-5.1
Does your "length of imprisonment" definition align with the above?
YES
Q2.5.2
Do you count days spent in police cells if the suspect remains at least one day?
NO
Q2.5.2.2
If YES, how many days were spent in police cells in 2025?
6. Costs of Imprisonment
• Counting unit: Euro
• Total budget spent during the year:
◦ Reflects the total budget spent by the prison administration during the year.
◦ May not align with the initial budget set at the year's start.
◦ Should encompass all prison system expenses, including services outsourced to private entities.
◦ Please specify if the budget includes the functioning of the country's probation agencies.
• Rules of inclusion/exclusion
◦ Included:
▪ Security.
▪ Healthcare.
▪ Services.
▪ Administration.
▪ Support.
▪ Rehabilitation programs.
▪ Amounts paid to private entities for outsourced services.
Q2-5.1
Does your "total budget spent by the prison administration" definition align with the above?
NO
Q2.5.2
Does your budget include expenses related to the functioning of probation agencies?
YES
Q2.5.2.2
If YES, what was the budget spent for the functioning of probation agencies in 2025?
5 386 450€
Table 4. Indicators of flow for the year 2025
4. Admissions exits, length and costs of imprisonment during the entire year 2025
Numbers
1
Admissions into penal institutions (total)
1061
Of which: Admissions
1.1
before a final sentence
772
1.2
after revocation or suspension of a conditional release or probation
NA
1.3
following a transfer from a foreign country
8
Of which 1.3.1
Following a transfer from an EU country
6
1.4
after a final sentence
289
1.5
unknown/other
0
Note: 1.1 + 1.2 + 1.3 +1.4 + 1.5 = 1 (if not, please explain why in the comments)
2
Releases from penal institutions (total)
1071
Of which: Releases
2.1
of inmates not serving a final sentence
240
2.2
of sentenced inmates
831
Of which:
2.1.1
Unconditional releases
302
2.1.2
Conditional releases
509
2.1.3
Transfers to another country
11
Of which: 2.1.3.1
Transfers to an EU country
11
2.3
unknown/other
0
Note: 2.1 + 2.2 + 2.3 = 2 (if not, please explain why in the comments)
3
Inmates deceased (total)
3
Of which: Inmates deceased
3.1
inside penal institutions
3
Of which: Inmates deceased by
3.1.1
Homicide
0
3.1.2
Suicide
2
Of which (a): By gender
3.1.2.1
Women inmates
0
Of which (B): By legal status
3.1.2.2
Inmates not serving a final sentence
0
3.1.3
Other causes of death
1
3.2
outside penal institutions
0
Note: 3.1 + 3.2 = 3 and 3.1.1 + 3.1.2 + 3.1.3 = 3.1 (if not, please explain why in the comments)
4
Inmates who escaped from penal institutions (total)
1
Of which: Inmates who escaped from
4.1
closed penal institutions
0
4.2
other types of penal institutions
1
4.3
unknown/other
0
Note: 4.1 + 4.2 + 4.3 = 4 (if not, please explain why in the comments)
Days
5
Total number of days spent penal institutions (total)
592926
Of which: Days spent in
5.1
institutions for inmates not serving a final sentence
11216
5.2
institutions for sentenced inmates
44033
Euro
6
Costs of imprisonment
6.1
Total budget spent during the year
62 627 527 €
6.2
Average amount spent per day per one inmate
105,6
Of which: Amount spent per day per one
6.2.1
inmate not serving a final sentence
NA
6.2.2
sentenced inmate
NA
Comments to Section Two
Table 4.
Question 1.3 includes only transfers of sentenced prisoners.
Question 4. The figure does not include incidents where an inmate does not return to open prison after being granted the permit for a prison leave. 1 escape during 2025 from open prison.
Question 5. Number is bigger than 5.1 + 5.2, since there are also other groups kept in prisons (up 48h detentions for police; detention for misdemeanour offence etc).
Question 5.1 and 5.2 – counted days spent in prison as sentenced inmate or as inmate not serving a final sentence (institutions are same for both groups).
Question 6.1 – only costs relating to imprisonment (probation costs are removed form that figure). Medical costs, IT costs, Ministry of Justice Department of Prisons personnel costs not included. Since 2024, the budget for medical expenses is under the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Table 7. Measures having an influence on prison populations
Reference date: from the 1 February 2025 to the 31 January 2026
Instructions
Please indicate legislative measures or any other kind of measures (e.g. indults pronounced by the Executive Power) applied from the 1 February 2025 to the 31 January 2026 which had a direct influence on trends in the number of prisoners (amnesty, collective pardon, etc.): If you have data on the influence of such measures on the prison population, please provide them also (e.g. Pardon pronounced on 1st May leading to the release of 300 prisoners).
a)
Changes in criminal law (please be specific: provide a short explanatory note)
-
b)
New legislation concerning certain categories of inmates
-
Explanatory note
Number of persons concerned by the measures
c)
Amnesties
0
d)
Individual pardons
1
e)
Collective pardons
0
f)
Other (specify)
0
Comments to Table 7
Please give the name and address of the person responsible for completing this questionnaire, so that we may contact him/her for clarification of the answers if necessary.
Name:
Andreas Aljas
Function:
Data analyst
Institution:
Estonian Prison Service (Tartu prison)
Address:
Turu 56, Tartu, 51004, ESTONIA
Telephone:
+372 5309 6169
E-mail:
[email protected]
Thank you very much!