Prisoners could be sent to Estonia in desperate bid to tackle Tory jail crisis

Government in talks to house 1,000 foreign national criminals abroad as part of new £2bn plan to reduce prison overcrowding

The government is in talks to send up to 1,000 foreign national criminals to Estonia as part of a new £2bn plan to reduce prison overcrowding.

Desperate bid to tackle crisis

The move is part of a desperate bid to tackle the Tory jail crisis, which has seen prisons in England and Wales reach their highest ever population levels.

The government has been forced to take action after a series of damning reports into the state of the prison system, which have highlighted overcrowding, violence and poor living conditions.

1,000 foreign national criminals

The prisoners who could be sent to Estonia are foreign national criminals who have been convicted of crimes such as murder, rape and drug trafficking.

They would be held in a new prison that is being built in the Estonian town of Tartu.

£2bn plan

The £2bn plan also includes building new prisons in England and Wales, as well as increasing the use of electronic tags and home detention curfews.

The government hopes that the plan will help to reduce the prison population by 10,000 by 2025.

Public opinion

The plan has been met with mixed reactions from the public.

Some people believe that it is a necessary step to tackle the prison crisis, while others are concerned about the cost and the impact on the prisoners' families.

Conclusion

The government's plan to send foreign national criminals to Estonia is a controversial one, but it is a necessary step to tackle the prison crisis.

The plan is likely to face legal challenges, but it is important that the government takes action to address the overcrowding and violence in the prison system.