The newspaper Expressen spoke with relatives of Swedish prisoners housed in Tartu prison. They conveyed the first impressions of the criminals regarding prison life in Estonia. Swedish journalists were not allowed to communicate with the prisoners themselves. The first thing that shocked the prisoners was the weapons in the hands of the guards. "They were a bit shocked to see the guards with their weapons ready. Then they were placed in metal cages in the minibuses. He told me it was like something out of an American movie," said a relative of one of the Swedish criminals. The dishes used were also unfamiliar to the Swedish prisoners, differing from those used in Sweden. "They are not given any plates or cutlery — all food is served in small metal bowls. It looks like a dog bowl. They are only given a spoon because nothing is offered except soup or stew," said one of the relatives. According to one of the prisoners, the same menu repeats week after week for an entire month. Currently, for example, it includes potato-chicken soup. Swedish criminals also complain about the quality of the food, and according to one relative, the prisoners have lost weight during their time in Estonia. Another criminal sent to Estonia complained to Expressen that the prison is surrounded by walls topped with barbed wire, and security is maintained around the clock, including night checks. "This is not even the case in the strictest section of the first-class security Kumla prison in Sweden," relayed the words of the prisoner by one of his relatives. According to Niklas Belström, head of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, special attention was paid to the food offered in Estonia during the preparation of the project. "We understood from the very beginning that the prisoners would likely react to the fact that the food would be different from what they are used to in Swedish prisons," he noted, adding that representatives from Estonia visited Sweden to familiarize themselves with the operations of local prison kitchens. They were also provided with menus of dishes served in Swedish prisons. According to Belström, during negotiations, Sweden managed to achieve the cancellation of some security procedures in Estonia that are not used in Sweden. "For example, in Estonian prisons, the lights in the cells are turned on every hour, including at night," he cited as an example.
