The Prison and Probation Service in Sweden and abroad

The project examines the regulatory frameworks and agreements that make it possible to enforce Swedish prison sentences in other countries. Its point of departure is the agreement between Sweden and Estonia on the enforcement of Swedish prison sentences in Estonia, approved by the Riksdag in June 2026, and the Act (2026:983) on Temporary Enforcement of Swedish Prison Sentences Abroad. The project has three parts. The legal part analyses how the agreement and the Act allocate responsibilities and powers between the Swedish Prison and Probation Service and the Estonian prison service, which law applies in the prison, how prisoners’ rights and access to review are safeguarded and how the arrangement relates to the Instrument of Government, the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Prison Rules. The empirical part examines what enforcement in another country means for prisoners and for staff, for example for contact with family and probation services, for release preparation and for the risk of reoffending, and how decisions on who is transferred are made. The comparative part sets the Swedish solution against the experience of other European countries that have placed prisoners in prisons abroad. The project combines legal science, criminology, social work and political science.