Prison overcrowding has prompted junior justice minister Ingrid Conradie (PVV) to send prisoners home three days early to make room for other detainees.

The prison system is heading for “code black” this week, meaning that there are no police or prison cells available for newly arrested suspects and people who have been convicted.

“It is sickening but I have no choice,” Coenradie said in a statement. “It’s the only way to put people who have committed a crime away, and as far as I’m concerned that is the main thing. It’s crucial for the rule of law.”

Prisoners sentenced to up to seven days in prison will not benefit from the measure but everyone else will. The measure is a temporary one and will affect as few prisoners as possible, the justice ministry said

The overcrowding is caused by a combination of longer sentences, an increase in psychiatric cases and young adults, and renovation work, the ministry said. “The cabinet is in favour of stricter sentences and that means we need more jail capacity,” it said.

Coenradie is already exploring the idea of putting up emergency accommodation outside existing prisons and renting prison space in Estonia, which she visited in September.

At the time she said the visit was “exploratory” but, the ministry said, she is now “working on the financial and logistical implications” of the plan.