Foreign prisoners sent abroad?

Minister of Justice Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir says that she will consider negotiating with other countries to deport prisoners with foreign citizenship who have been sentenced in Iceland.

This is stated in her written response to mbl.is' inquiry.

More foreign prisoners than ever before

28% of those serving a sentence in this country in 2023 were foreign nationals, and that number has never been higher.

"There has been no special consideration in the Ministry of Justice to negotiate with other states to house prisoners with foreign citizenship, and no cost analysis has been done on such a resource so far."

However, I think it is natural to look at such resources, as it is clear that more and more countries have begun to look at this possibility, in light of the increased pressure on the prison systems worldwide. Especially in the case of prisoners who came to this country for the sole purpose of committing crimes and have no other connection with Iceland," Hafsteinsdóttir says.

Britain is considering sending prisoners to Estonia

The Telegraph newspaper reported recently that Estonia is ready to invite other European countries to negotiate with the country to house prisoners, as about half of the prison spaces in Estonia are not in use.

The Minister of Justice of the United Kingdom is, for example, looking into this possibility, given that the prisons in the United Kingdom are full.

The number of prisoners in Iceland is on the rise

Páll Winkel, the outgoing director of prisons, said in an interview with mbl.is this summer that the Scandinavian prison model is in danger due to the effects of organized crime and increased harshness.

He mentioned that it appeared that the number of prisoners would increase in the coming years. The average waiting time after serving a sentence is one year and 10 months, and three hundred people are on the waiting list to serve their sentences.

The percentage of foreign nationals serving a sentence in Iceland has never been higher than last year, according to answers from the Prison Service. In 2023, 137 people were serving a sentence in Iceland, of which 28% were foreigners, or 38 prisoners.

In 2019, that number was 19%, and that number changed little until last year. Also, 75% of remand prisoners in Iceland last year were foreign nationals.

The Danes and the British see this as a realistic possibility

Hafsteinsdóttir says it is important to ensure that the legal system in Iceland is in line with the best international norms and developments to meet the challenges that the nation faces in the penal system.

"Our challenges in the penitentiary system are not unique to Iceland, but the countries we would most like to compare ourselves to, for example, Denmark and Great Britain, are facing similar challenges in terms of overcrowded prisons. They see this solution as a viable option to solve that problem."