Estonia proposes prison nicotine pouches and fewer night checks

Estonia’s Justice Ministry has submitted a draft for approval that would allow prisoners to use nicotine pouches and reduce routine night-time checks, ERR reported.

The proposal would let all prisoners possess and use nicotine pouches, and bring them to visits. The pouches were previously banned in prisons. The ministry said the change was prompted by Swedish prisoners at Tartu Prison, who are allowed to use them.

Keeping the ban during visits would require staff to check whether prisoners had pouches, confiscate any they found, store them and return them afterwards. The draft says searching for the small pouches would be difficult and create unnecessary work, given that prisoners would be allowed to carry them in prison.

The draft would also change checks during night-time rest. Staff would no longer have to inspect every cell or room during each round. They would still check at least hourly on prisoners in a locked-cell regime, serving a disciplinary-cell punishment or considered at risk of suicide.

Other prisoners would be checked during the night when needed for safety or security. Staff could still carry out a visual check if a prisoner’s behaviour, sounds from a cell or another circumstance raised concerns about the safety of prisoners or others, or prison security.

The ministry says the changes are intended to make night-time supervision risk-based and reduce unnecessary disruption to prisoners’ rest and privacy.