If family members are interested in how a prisoner is coping, they will be relevantly informed, given that the prisoner has granted their consent thereto and such information helps understand the course and objectives of the incarceration. Thereat, any allocation of information considers the need to ensure family safety and maintain the prisoner’s social ties.
Family members are deemed to include persons listed in § 25 of the Republic of Estonia Imprisonment Act: spouse, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, child, grandchild, adoptive parent, adoptive child, step parent or foster parent, step child or foster child, brother or sister, cohabitee that the prisoner has common children with or at least two years of cohabitation prior to commencement of serving the sentence.
The inquirer’s identity is verified prior to allocation of any information. As this cannot be done over the phone, inquirers must contact the prison in writing or appear in person. In the case of a query, the relevant unit head or head of the imprisonment department handles the allocation of information to family members. Prison contact details: Tallinn Prison; Tartu Prison; Viru Prison