Justice ministry defends prison hair dye policy citing safety, subculture risks
The Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner has raised concerns over what it sees as discriminatory treatment in Estonian prisons, noting that women inmates have been allowed to dye their hair since 2017, while male inmates are not.
The Ministry of Justice has rejected the claim, arguing that the restriction is justified due to a higher risk of misuse among male prisoners. According to the ministry, male inmates are more likely to process products like hair dye into intoxicating substances or misuse chemicals for unintended purposes.
Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, Rait Kuuse, explained that "allowing various substances, including chemicals, in prison in the smallest but still necessary quantities is essential in order to completely eliminate or at least reduce the misuse of substances, such as their consumption or processing for the purpose of intoxication."
"For this reason, the prison's e-store also prohibits products that can be converted — for example, through fermentation — into intoxicating substances, or which, when consumed, cause intoxication or pose a threat to a person's life or health," he added.
Kuuse cited internal prison data to support the ministry's position. "From June 10, 2024 to June 10, 2025, there were 126 violations in Unit 3 of Tallinn Prison, compared to 55 violations in the women's unit during the same period — all related to various objects — but among them there was not a single case involving narcotic or psychotropic substances, medication, or substances containing alcohol. So based on just one unit, the number of incidents is more than twice as high as among female inmates."
He further noted that international recommendations recognize the need to accommodate the specific needs of women prisoners and that such measures "cannot be considered discriminatory toward male inmates."
In addition to practical concerns, Kuuse pointed to subcultural dynamics within prisons. "Historically, for male inmates — unlike women inmates — dyeing hair has been one of the so-called tools for separation or marking. The prison service must be able to detect such possible manifestations immediately and intervene in a timely manner."
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Mari Peegel
