Prisoner complaints make up over a quarter of Estonia’s administrative cases

Prisoners’ complaints account for more than a quarter of administrative cases in Estonia, placing a substantial burden on courts, ERR reported. Estonia has about 1,600 prisoners.

Tallinn and Tartu administrative courts received 908 complaints from prisoners in 2025, or 27% of their administrative cases. More than 680 complaints were filed in the first nine months of this year.

Tallinn Administrative Court chairman Kaupo Kruusvee said courts were prepared for the workload to grow, including in connection with Swedish prisoners being held in Estonia. If around 600 Swedish prisoners arrive and file complaints at a rate similar to Estonian prisoners, courts could expect about 300 cases a year, he said.

Some Estonian prisoners have already complained that Swedish inmates receive better conditions. Swedish prisoners have also raised concerns with the Chancellor of Justice about living conditions and language barriers. They have highlighted difficulties staying in contact with family in Sweden, which lawyer Katarina Talumäe said could lead to additional costs and legal challenges.

Complaints range from living conditions to access to medical care. Courts have upheld about 1.5% of prisoners’ complaints so far. Talumäe said some cases place an unnecessary burden on court resources, but there are currently few effective ways to limit them.

Tartu Prison director Merle Ulst said the complaints were expected and that the prison was reviewing the Chancellor of Justice’s findings. She said it planned to respond in early December. Kruusvee said the Justice and Digital Affairs Ministry had information on the volume of disputes and suggested examining why prisoners in Estonia file more complaints than those in neighbouring countries.

Talumäe said the prison rental agreement could have a positive long-term effect on the implementation of Estonia’s prison system.