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World Factbook of C r i m i n a l Justice Systems

Finland

Matti Joutsen

Helsinki Institute for Crime P r e v e n t i o n and

Control

This c o u n t r y report is one of m a n y p r e p a r e d for

the W o r l d F a c t b o o k of Criminal J u s t i c e Systems
under grant No. 9 0 - B J - C X - 0 0 0 2 to the State
U n i v e r s i t y of New York at Albany. The p r o j e c t
d i r e c t o r was Graeme R. Newman, but the
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y for the a c c u r a c y of the i m f o r m a t i o n
c o n t a i n e d in each report is that of the i n d i v i d u a l
authors. The contents of these reports do not
n e c e s s a r i l y reflect the views or p o l i c i e s of the
Bureau of J u s t i c e S t a t i s t i c s or the U.S.
D e p a r t m e n t of Justice.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

I. Political system.
F i n l a n d is a republic with a s t r o n g l y
c e n t r a l i z e d government. The c o u n t r y is d i v i d e d
into twelve provinces, which in turn are d i v i d e d
into 248 p o l i c e districts, each g e n e r a l l y
c o m p r i s i n g one or two m u n i c i p a l i t i e s .

2. Legal system.
The C r i m i n a l Law is e l a b o r a t e d in the
Criminal Code (1889) and separate statutes such as
the Young O f f e n d e r s Act (1939), the N a r c o t i c s Act
(1972), the T r a f f i c Act (1981) and the C o n d i t i o n a l
Sentences Act (1918). The Criminal Code is
d i v i d e d into a "general part" with p r o v i s i o n s on
jurisdiction, age of criminal responsibility,
j u s t i f i c a t i o n and excuse, s e n t e n c i n g and
forfeiture, and a "special part" with p r o v i s i o n s
d e f i n i n g the d i f f e r e n t offenses and e s t a b l i s h i n g
the levels of punishment.
The law on criminal p r o c e d u r e is c o n t a i n e d in
the Code of J u d i c i a l P r o c e d u r e (1734). Since its
initial adoption, the Code of Judicial P r o c e d u r e
has been a m e n d e d several times, with e x t e n s i v e
reforms most r e c e n t l y in 1991. In the
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of justice, the c o u n t r y is d i v i d e d
into six a p p e l l a t e d i s t r i c t s and 95 judicial
districts.

3. H i s t o r y of criminal justice system.

 The Finnish legal s y s t e m d e v e l o p e d d u r i n g the
seven c e n t u r i e s (ca. 1150-1809) when F i n l a n d was
part of the Swedish kingdom. For this reason, the
legal s y s t e m shares many c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s with the
other S c a n d i n a v i a n legal systems. Strict l e g a l i s m
(an emphasis on the rule of law) and a d e v e l o p e d
set of d e m o c r a t i c controls on the e x e r c i s e of
d i s c r e t i o n are the two p r e m i e r features of F i n n i s h
law. The a p p r o a c h to the i n v e s t i g a t i o n of
offenses can be t e r m e d i n q u i s i t o r i a l , w i t h
i n c r e a s i n g l y strong a d v e r s a r i a l elements.
The C r i m i n a l Code has been a m e n d e d
e x t e n s i v e l y since its original a d o p t i o n in 1889.
It is c u r r e n t l y u n d e r g o i n g a total reform. One
third of its p r o v i s i o n s were a m e n d e d by an Act of
P a r l i a m e n t in 1990, and a third by an Act of
Parliament in 1995. The p u r p o s e of the r e f o r m is
to ensure that the Criminal Code defines and deals
with all crimes consistently, while taking into
account the f u n d a m e n t a l changes in s o c i e t y that
have o c c u r r e d over the past several decades.

CRIME

I. Classification of crimes.

* Legal c l a s s i f i c a t i o n . In Finland, there are no

general d i s t i n c t i o n s or c a t e g o r i e s of crime.
Rather, o f f e n s e d i s t i n c t i o n s are b a s e d on the
e x p e c t e d p u n i s h m e n t for the offense, or the "penal
latitude" d e f i n e d by law. For example, a p e r s o n
may be held in p r e - t r i a l custody if the m a x i m u m
p u n i s h m e n t for the offense is i m p r i s o n m e n t for
over 1 year.

* Age of criminal responsibility. The age of

criminal r e s p o n s i b i l i t y is 15 years. C h i l d r e n who
commit o f f e n s e s b e l o w this age are not b r o u g h t
before a court. These cases are dealt with by
m u n i c i p a l social w e l f a r e boards. Youths b e t w e e n
the ages of 15 and 18 b e n e f i t from a r e d u c t i o n of
the s e n t e n c i n g scale.

* Drug offenses. Finland has an e x t r e m e l y

r e s t r i c t i v e a p p r o a c h to drugs. With the obvious
e x c e p t i o n of c o n t r o l l e d m e d i c a l drugs, the
preparation, transport, possession, use, import,
export and sale of any drugs d e f i n e d by the
i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o n v e n t i o n to which F i n l a n d has
acceded, is illegal.

2. Crime statistics

* Murder. Each year, some 30 m u r d e r s and i00

incidents of m a n s l a u g h t e r are r e p o r t e d to the
police. T h e s e figures do not include attempts. In
1990, 23 m u r d e r s and 122 i n c i d e n t s of m a n s l a u g h t e r
were r e p o r t e d to the police. H o m i c i d e s are
d i v i d e d into m u r d e r and m a n s l a u g h t e r . M u r d e r is
d e f i n e d as the k i l l i n g of a p e r s o n w i t h d e l i b e r a t e
intent, for gain, with p a r t i c u l a r c r u e l t y or
brutality, in a m a n n e r that causes general danger,
or the k i l l i n g of a civil servant.

* Rape. In 1990, 381 rapes or a t t e m p t e d rapes

were r e p o r t e d to the police. Rape is d e f i n e d as
"using v i o l e n c e or the t h r e a t of v i o l e n c e to
force a w o m a n into sexual i n t e r c o u r s e a g a i n s t her
will". M a r i t a l rape is not c o v e r e d by the
definition.

* Theft. In 1990, 125,909 thefts and 4,800

a g g r a v a t e d thefts were r e p o r t e d to the police.
The figures i n c l u d e attempts. T h e f t is d e f i n e d as
the " u n a u t h o r i z e d taking of chattels from the
p o s s e s s i o n of another p e r s o n . " If the p r o p e r t y in
q u e s t i o n is of "special value, or the theft
r e s u l t e d in a r e l a t i v e l y serious loss to the
v i c t i m t a k i n g into c o n s i d e r a t i o n the c i r c u m s t a n c e s
of the victim, or the o f f e n d e r took a d v a n t a g e of
the h e l p l e s s c o n d i t i o n of the victim, or the
o f f e n d e r was armed with a gun, explosives, or
other s i m i l a r d a n g e r o u s implements, or the o f f e n s e
i n v o l v e d b r e a k i n g into a r e s i d e n c e and the o f f e n s e
as a w h o l e is d e e m e d a g g r a v a t e d , " the o f f e n s e m a y
be c l a s s i f i e d as a g g r a v a t e d theft. T h e f t of m o t o r
v e h i c l e s is c r i m i n a l i z e d separately.

* Serious drug offense. In 1990, the p o l i c e

r e c o r d e d a total of 2536 drug offenses, of w h i c h
267 w e r e c l a s s i f i e d as "serious drug o f f e n s e s . "
The figures i n c l u d e attempts. A drug o f f e n s e is
d e f i n e d as serious if: "I) the o f f e n s e i n v o l v e s a
p a r t i c u l a r l y d a n g e r o u s drug or a large a m o u n t
of drugs, 2) c o n s i d e r a b l e financial gain is
sought, 3) the o f f e n d e r a c t e d as part of a group
e s p e c i a l l y o r g a n i z e d for the l a r g e - s c a l e
c o m m i s s i o n of such an offense, 4) the o f f e n s e
s e r i o u s l y e n d a n g e r s the life or h e a l t h of
several people, or 5) drugs are given to m i n o r s or
are o t h e r w i s e d i s t r i b u t e d in an u n s c r u p u l o u s
manner, and the o f f e n s e as a whole is
deemed aggravated."

* Crime regions. A m o n g the S c a n d i n a v i a n

countries, F i n l a n d has a r e p u t a t i o n for h a v i n g a
g r e a t e r v i o l e n t crime problem. However, a recent
v i c t i m i z a t i o n study s h o w e d that F i n l a n d was in the
m i d d l e range among W e s t e r n E u r o p e a n c o u n t r i e s in
r e s p e c t to v i o l e n t o f f e n s e s (van Dijk, Killias and
Mayhew, pp. 35-38).

VICTIMS
i. Groups most v i c t i m i z e d by crime.
V i c t i m i z a t i o n surveys i n d i c a t e that the
typical v i c t i m of a violent o f f e n s e is a young,
urban male. For p r o p e r t y offenses, the
v i c t i m i z a t i o n surveys indicate that the g r o w t h in
the number of these offenses is b e i n g b o r n e by
businesses. The risk of an i n d i v i d u a l b e i n g the
v i c t i m of a p r o p e r t y offense has r e m a i n e d stable
for the past decade.

2. Victims' a s s i s t a n c e agencies.
N a t i o n a l v i c t i m hot lines were e s t a b l i s h e d in
Finland in 1994. Both v o l u n t e e r groups and
m u n i c i p a l i t i e s o p e r a t e shelters for victims of
d o m e s t i c violence. In addition, the h e a l t h care
and social s e c u r i t y systems aid victims of crime.

3. Role of v i c t i m in p r o s e c u t i o n and sentencing.

The v i c t i m of a crime plays an i m p o r t a n t role
in Finnish law. The v i c t i m has the right to
p r o s e c u t e an offense, i n d e p e n d e n t of the d e c i s i o n
of the p u b l i c prosecutor. The v i c t i m can take
part in all stages of the prosecution. For
example, the v i c t i m may submit evidence, suggest
q u e s t i o n s and comment on the evidence. The v i c t i m
may request c o m p e n s a t i o n in c o n n e c t i o n with the
criminal p r o c e e d i n g s . C o m p e n s a t i o n may also be
claimed from the state for an injury or
i n j u r y - r e l a t e d loss a r i s i n g from any offense. In
this regard, the Finnish scheme is among the
most g e n e r o u s in the world.

4. Victims' rights legislation.

No s e p a r a t e victims' rights l e g i s l a t i o n
exists in Finland. Several p r o v i s i o n s in the Code
of Judicial P r o c e d u r e and the C r i m i n a l Code ensure
the right of the v i c t i m to access to justice, to
redress and to be heard. In theory, v i c t i m s have
e x t r e m e l y b r o a d rights and p o s s i b i l i t i e s of b e i n g
i n v o l v e d in the r e s o l u t i o n of the case. In
practice, as is the case in all other countries,
the rights may remain unused due, for example, to
lack of a w a r e n e s s of the rights or to p r a c t i c a l
problems.

POLICE

i. Administration.
The Finnish police are o r g a n i z e d on an
h i e r a r c h i c a l n a t i o n a l basis under the a u t h o r i t y of
the M i n i s t r y of the Interior and subject to the
Police Act. The chain of command is t o t a l l y
i n d e p e n d e n t of the m i l i t a r y structure.

2. Resources.

* Expenditures. During the 1990 c a l e n d a r year,

the b u d g e t of the n a t i o n a l police force was
2 , 0 5 3 , 5 6 4 , 0 0 0 Finnmarks.

* Number of Police. Finland has a total of 11,942

p o l i c e personnel, of w h o m some 20% are w o m e n
(1990 data).

3. Technology.

* A v a i l a b i l i t y of p o l i c e automobiles. Police are

w e l l - e q u i p p e d with a v a r i e t y of m o t o r vehicles
both for p a t r o l l i n g and for special purposes.
Currently, the most common patrol car b e i n g
a c q u i r e d is the Ford Mondeo.

* E l e c t r o n i c equipment. The p o l i c e have at their

disposal m o d e r n computer and t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
equipment.

* Weapons. Police patrol officers are armed with

a .38 caliber pistol or revolver. A special unit
b a s e d in Helsinki, known c o l l o q u i a l l y as the
"Beagle Boys" is t r a i n e d in a v a r i e t y of w e a p o n s
and special tactics. For example, this unit m i g h t
be used for the arrest of an o f f e n d e r who is
s u s p e c t e d of being armed and dangerous. The
Beagle Boys are also t r a i n e d in a n t i - t e r r o r i s t
tactics. As of this writing, F i n l a n d has not had
the need to use the unit for this purpose.

4. T r a i n i n g of police.
T r a i n i n g on the entry level is p r o v i d e d in
the Police Institute. The basic course is d i v i d e d
into two m o d u l e s of Ii and 6 months, with a one-
year p e r i o d of o n - t h e - j o b t r a i n i n g b e t w e e n the
two. Further t r a i n i n g is p r o v i d e d in the Police
Academy, w h e r e i n t e r m e d i a t e courses last 6 months,
and a d v a n c e d courses last 12 months.

5. Discretion.

* Use of force. The s t a t u t o r y basis for the

rights and r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s of the police is
p r o v i d e d by the Police Act, the Pre-Trial
I n v e s t i g a t i o n Act and the C o e r c i v e Means of
I n v e s t i g a t i o n Act. In brief, these statutes state
that the use of force by police s h o u l d be in
p r o p o r t i o n to the s e r i o u s n e s s of the s u s p e c t e d
offense in question, and force s h o u l d be sued only
if less i n t r u s i v e means w o u l d be i n a p p r o p r i a t e .
For e x a m p l e d e a d l y force can only be used in
s e l f - d e f e n s e or in d e f e n s e of a n o t h e r p e r s o n
against w h o m an i m m e d i a t e and p o t e n t i a l l y fatal
assault is o c c u r r i n g or is about to occur.

* S t o p / a p p r e h e n d suspect: The p o l i c e may stop and

q u e s t i o n anyone if it is r e g a r d e d as n e c e s s a r y for
their work. A p e r s o n may be a p p r e h e n d e d if
a s t a n d i n g a r r e s t or remand w a r r a n t has b e e n
issued, or if the c o n d i t i o n s for an a r r e s t are
p r e s e n t and the m a t t e r will not t o l e r a t e a delay.
A n y p e r s o n has the right to a p p r e h e n d an o f f e n d e r
caught in the act or e s c a p i n g from the scene of a
crime if the o f f e n s e may be p u n i s h a b l e by
i m p r i s o n m e n t or if the o f f e n s e is p e t t y assault,
petty theft, p e t t y embezzlement, p e t t y
u n a u t h o r i z e d use, p e t t y vandalism, or p e t t y fraud.

* D e c i s i o n to arrest. A p e r s o n m a y be a r r e s t e d
and h e l d in p r e - t r i a l c u s t o d y if the p e r s o n is
s u s p e c t e d of h a v i n g c o m m i t t e d an o f f e n s e for w h i c h
the m a x i m u m s e n t e n c e is i m p r i s o n m e n t for over one
year, or if it is p r o b a b l e that he or she will
a t t e m p t to evade or o b s t r u c t justice, or
c o n t i n u e his or her criminal activity.
The p o l i c e are g r a n t e d the d i s c r e t i o n to
caution the o f f e n d e r if the o f f e n s e is m i n o r and
w o u l d not have led to a p u n i s h m e n t m o r e severe
than a fine.

* S e a r c h and seizure. Chapters 4 and 5 of the

C o e r c i v e Means of I n v e s t i g a t i o n Act c o n t a i n
d e t a i l e d p r o v i s i o n s on search and seizure. The
m a i n rule r e g a r d i n g search is that it m a y be
c a r r i e d out if the s u s p e c t e d o f f e n s e is p u n i s h a b l e
by at least 6 m o n t h s i m p r i s o n m e n t and the s e a r c h
is n e c e s s a r y for the i n v e s t i g a t i o n of the offense.
The d e c i s i o n is u s u a l l y m a d e by a senior police
officer; however, if the m a t t e r b r o o k s no delay,
the search may be c a r r i e d out by a policeman.
The rule r e g a r d i n g seizure is that an o b j e c t m a y
be s e i z e d if there is cause to a s s u m e that it m a y
be u s e d as e v i d e n c e in a criminal case, if it has
been c r i m i n a l l y obtained, or if the court will
order it confiscated.

* Confessions. There is no s p e c i f i c p r o v i s i o n on
the w e i g h t of a c o n f e s s i o n as evidence. Finnish
courts apply the rule of "free a s s e s s m e n t of
e v i d e n c e ; " with the e x c e p t i o n of s t a t e m e n t s
o b t a i n e d t h r o u g h the use of torture, no e v i d e n c e
is ipso facto inadmissible. In practice, courts
seek c o l l a b o r a t i v e e v i d e n c e to c o n f i r m a
confession.

6. A c c o u n t a b i l i t y .
C o m p l a i n t s a g a i n s t the p o l i c e m a y be d e a l t
with internally, by the s u p e r i o r s of the p o l i c e
o f f i c e r in question, or externally, by the
P a r l i a m e n t a r y Ombudsman. The O m b u d s m a n is
e m p o w e r e d to o b t a i n any i n f o r m a t i o n n e c e s s a r y in
his i n v e s t i g a t i o n s . He also has the p o w e r to
issue c a u t i o n s and reprimands, and s u g g e s t that
d i s c i p l i n a r y a c t i o n be undertaken.
PROSECUTORIAL AND JUDICIAL PROCESS

I. Rights of the accused.

* Rights of the accused. A p e r s o n who is

s u s p e c t e d of an o f f e n s e has the s t a n d a r d rights,
i n c l u d i n g the right to counsel, the right to be
i n f o r m e d of the charges and the right to a s p e e d y
trial.

* A s s i s t a n c e to the accused. If he or she

cannot a f f o r d counsel, a s s i s t a n c e can be p r o v i d e d
by the m u n i c i p a l legal aide office. Persons h e l d
in c u s t o d y have the right to r e p r e s e n t a t i o n by a
m e m b e r of the Bar A s s o c i a t i o n at state expense.

2. Procedures.

* P r e p a r a t o r y p r o c e d u r e s for b r i n g i n g a s u s p e c t to
trial. It is the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of the p o l i c e to
i n v e s t i g a t e offenses. The customs and t a x a t i o n
a u t h o r i t i e s m a i n t a i n i n v e s t i g a t i v e powers in their
field. The results of the i n v e s t i g a t i o n are
t u r n e d over to the p u b l i c prosecutor, who d e c i d e s
w h e t h e r the facts are s u f f i c i e n t to w a r r a n t
prosecution.
S i m p l i f i e d p r o c e d u r e s are used in the case of
p e t t y crime. M i n o r t r a f f i c o f f e n s e s are d e a l t w i t h
by a "petty fine" i m p o s e d by the p o l i c e a c c o r d i n g
to a tariff. Petty fines cannot be c o n v e r t e d into
imprisonment. " S u m m a r y penal orders" can be u s e d
for all o f f e n s e s subject to a m a x i m u m p u n i s h m e n t
of, at most, 6 months of imprisonment, p r o v i d e d
that the p r o s e c u t o r calls for the i m p o s i t i o n of a
fine. The penal order is i s s u e d by the p o l i c e
under the s u p e r v i s i o n of the prosecutor, and it is
a p p r o v e d by the court. Most o f f e n d e r s p a y the
fine, but the o f f e n d e r has the right to c h a l l e n g e
the penal order in court. D e f a u l t e r s m a y be
s e n t e n c e d to prison.

* O f f i c i a l who conducts p r o s e c u t i o n . The p u b l i c

p r o s e c u t o r or the v i c t i m conducts the p r o s e c u t i o n .
In urban areas, the p u b l i c p r o s e c u t o r holds a
full- time position. In rural areas, the p u b l i c
p r o s e c u t o r is u s u a l l y the d i s t r i c t p o l i c e chief or
the a s s i s t a n t p o l i c e chief. Public p r o s e c u t o r s are
under the s u p e r v i s i o n of the C h a n c e l l o r of
Justice.

* A l t e r n a t i v e s to trial. The Finnish s y s t e m does

not use plea bargaining, nor does it r e c o g n i z e
m e d i c a l or other t r e a t m e n t as an a l t e r n a t i v e to
the c r i m i n a l justice p r o c e s s e x c e p t in the case of
m a n i f e s t insanity. However, those d e f e n d a n t s who
are found g u i l t y but who are not s e n t e n c e d on the
grounds that they have been found c r i m i n a l l y
i r r e s p o n s i b l e are t u r n e d over to the N a t i o n a l
Board of Medicine. The B o a r d c o n s i d e r s the n e e d
for i n v o l u n t a r y c o m m i t m e n t in a m e n t a l hospital.
T h e r e are two a l t e r n a t i v e s to court
p r o c e e d i n g s . The first is the t r a n s f e r to the
m u n i c i p a l social w e l f a r e board. This option,
though not often used, is l i m i t e d to cases that
i n v o l v e o f f e n d e r s b e t w e e n the ages of 15 and 20.
The s e c o n d o p t i o n is mediation, the use of w h i c h
has g r a d u a l l y i n c r e a s e d in F i n l a n d since the m i d -
1980s. The number of cases d i s p o s e d of in
m e d i a t i o n number a p p r o x i m a t e l y 5,000 per year.
M e d i a t i o n is primarily, but not solely, u s e d in
the case of j u v e n i l e offenders.
The Finnish p r o s e c u t o r i a l s y s t e m has
t r a d i t i o n a l l y been very legalistic, w i t h tight
r e s t r a i n t s on the use of discretion. These
r e s t r a i n t s were eased in 1990, when the p u b l i c
p r o s e c u t o r was given the right to w a i v e charges in
three cases: (a) when the o f f e n s e was p e t t y and
the e x p e c t e d p u n i s h m e n t w o u l d be at m o s t a fine
or, in the case of o f f e n d e r s b e l o w the age of 18,
six months' imprisonment, as long as the o f f e n s e
was not d e e m e d to have been due to a b l a t a n t
d i s r e g a r d of the law; (b) the suspect was a l r e a d y
to be c h a r g e d with other, s i m i l a r offenses, and
the c o m b i n e d p u n i s h m e n t w o u l d not be e s s e n t i a l l y
a f f e c t e d by the new charges in question; and (c)
the w a i v i n g of charges is m e r i t e d on other g r o u n d s
of equity.

* P r o p o r t i o n of p r o s e c u t e d cases g o i n g to trial.
Most cases are dealt with t h r o u g h s u m m a r y penal
fines. Of the 393,586 p e r s o n s c o n v i c t e d d u r i n g
1990, only 81,697 (21'£) went to full trial.

* P r e - t r i a l i n c a r c e r a t i o n conditions. A l t h o u g h no
s t a t i s t i c s are a v a i l a b l e on the p r o p o r t i o n of
p e r s o n s held in p r e - t r i a l c u s t o d y who are later
s e n t e n c e d to imprisonment, this p r o p o r t i o n is
u n d o u b t e d l y quite high, and p r o b a b l y in excess of
80%.

* Bail procedure. Bail is not a v a i l a b l e in

Finland. However, it s h o u l d be n o t e d that the
C o e r c i v e Means of I n v e s t i g a t i o n Act p l a c e s tight
r e s t r i c t i o n s on the use and length of custody.

* P r o p o r t i o n of p r e - t r i a l o f f e n d e r s i n c a r c e r a t e d .
At the end of 1991, 264 p r i s o n e r s were a w a i t i n g
trial. This low figure does not i n c l u d e p e r s o n in
p o l i c e custody; e s t i m a t e s are u n a v a i l a b l e . In
general, only p e r s o n s c h a r g e d w i t h serious
o f f e n c e s are p l a c e d in p r e t r i a l custody; m o s t
s u s p e c t s are r e l e a s e d on their own recognizance,
or are not even arrested.
JUDICIAL SYSTEM

I. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n . The general court s y s t e m has

three tiers: the S u p r e m e Court, six Courts of
Appeal, and 95 lower courts. Lower court cases
can be a p p e a l e d in part or in full by the
prosecutor, the d e f e n d a n t or the v i c t i m in the
Court of Appeal. Cases dealt with by the Court of
A p p e a l can be b r o u g h t to the Supreme Court only if
the Supreme Court grants leave of appeal.
Until the end of 1993, the lower courts were
d i v i d e d into city courts and rural courts. At the
end of 1993, the lower courts were unified, with,
in most cases, one p r o f e s s i o n a l judge and three
lay judges p a r t i c i p a t i n g in the c o n s i d e r a t i o n of
each case. When r e q u i r e d by the c o m p l e x i t y of the
case or other factors, the c o m p o s i t i o n of the
court can be a u g m e n t e d by an a d d i t i o n a l
p r o f e s s i o n a l judge. Cases i n v o l v i n g d e f e n d a n t s
c h a r g e d with offenses p u n i s h a b l e by at most
e i g h t e e n months i m p r i s o n m e n t can be d e c i d e d by a
single judge.

2. Special courts.

* M i l i t a r y courts. The only special c r i m i n a l

court e x i s t i n g in the Finnish s y s t e m is the
m i l i t a r y court. C e r t a i n lower courts are
designated as p o t e n t i a l m i l i t a r y courts. When
d e c i d i n g a case i n v o l v i n g a m i l i t a r y offense, the
c o m p o s i t i o n of the court will be a u g m e n t e d by one
p r o f e s s i o n a l judge t r a i n e d in m i l i t a r y criminal
law. The charges are b r o u g h t by a m i l i t a r y
prosecutor. In all other respects, the p r o c e d u r e
followed is the same as in the general courts.

3. Judges.

* Number of judges. At the end of 1990, Finland

had 661 p r o f e s s i o n a l judges.

* A p p o i n t m e n t , training, and q u a l i f i c a t i o n s .
Lower court judges are a p p o i n t e d by the S u p r e m e
Court. Court of Appeal and S u p r e m e Court judges
are a p p o i n t e d by the President of the Republic.
The basic q u a l i f i c a t i o n s are a legal e d u c a t i o n
followed by a m i n i m u m of one years' p r a c t i c e as a
court clerk and some p r a c t i c e as an a p p r e n t i c e
judge.

PENALTIES AND SENTENCING

1. S e n t e n c i n g process. The s e n t e n c e is i m p o s e d
by the court at the end of the trial. No s e p a r a t e
s e n t e n c i n g hearings are held. If the d e f e n d a n t is
a j u v e n i l e and the t h r e a t e n e d p u n i s h m e n t is
imprisonment, a social h i s t o r y report is p r e p a r e d
by the local social w e l f a r e b o a r d or the P r o b a t i o n
and Parole A s s o c i a t i o n .

2. Types of p e n a l t i e s

* Range of penalties. The s a n c t i o n s that can be

i m p o s e d by the court include day-fines, c o m m u n i t y
service, s u s p e n d e d imprisonment, and i m p r i s o n m e n t .
Day-fines are i m p o s e d in b e t w e e n 1 and 120 units,
at roughly o n e - t h i r d the gross d a i l y income of the
offender. S e n t e n c e s of i m p r i s o n m e n t for up to two
years can be suspended; this s u s p e n s i o n r a r e l y
involves supervision. The general m i n i m u m
sentence of i m p r i s o n m e n t is 14 days, and the
general m a x i m u m is 12 years. M u r d e r is p u n i s h a b l e
by life imprisonment.
Of the some 400,000 persons b r o u g h t to court
each year, over 310,000 are s e n t e n c e d to a fine
through s u m m a r y proceedings, and over 50,000 are
s e n t e n c e d to a fine following full criminal
proceedings. Some 17,000 are s e n t e n c e d to
s u s p e n d e d imprisonment, and some 12,000 are
s e n t e n c e d to imprisonment.
In 1991, the m e d i a n sentence of i m p r i s o n m e n t
was 3.6 months. Those leaving p r i s o n have s e r v e d
a m e d i a n term of 5.5 months; The d i s c r e p a n c y is
due to the a d d i t i v e p o l i c y used to s e n t e n c e
recidivists. The sentences of i m p r i s o n m e n t are
t y p i c a l l y i m p o s e d for a g g r a v a t e d d r u n k e n d r i v i n g
(over 40% of all sentences of i m p r i s o n m e n t i m p o s e d
during a year) and for a g g r a v a t e d theft, theft,
and m o t o r v e h i c l e theft (some 30%). In 1990, only
356 p e r s o n s were s e n t e n c e d to i m p r i s o n m e n t for 2
years or more; the offenses in q u e s t i o n were
t y p i c a l l y homicide, a t t e m p t e d homicide, a g g r a v a t e d
assault, r o b b e r y and a g g r a v a t e d theft.
The s e n t e n c e is a f f e c t e d not only be the
d e f i n i t i o n of the o f f e n s e but also by any
a g g r a v a t i n g and m i t i g a t i n g factors n o t e d in the
general part of the Criminal Code. A m o n g the
a g g r a v a t i n g factors are the c o m m i s s i o n of the
crime as a m e m b e r of an o r g a n i z e d group,
c o m m i s s i o n of several s e p a r a t e offenses, and a
criminal record if it can be shown that the r e c o r d
d e m o n s t r a t e s b l a t a n t d i s r e g a r d for the law. A m o n g
the m i t i g a t i n g factors are sudden p r e s s u r e s on the
o f f e n d e r to commit the offense, the youth of the
offender, and the attempt of the o f f e n d e r to
assist in c l e a r i n g the offense or l i m i t i n g the
harm caused by the offense.

* Death penalty. Finland has t o t a l l y a b o l i s h e d the

use of capital p u n i s h m e n t which was last used in
peace time in 1826.

PRISON
i. Description.

* N u m b e r of prisons and type. F i n l a n d has a

n e t w o r k of 15 closed prisons, 21 open p r i s o n s or
sections of prisons, a j u v e n i l e prison, a p r i s o n
mental hospital, a p r i s o n h o s p i t a l and two social
r e h a b i l i t a t i o n institutes. All p r i s o n s are
a d m i n i s t e r e d by the N a t i o n a l Prison
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , which is s u b o r d i n a t e to the
M i n i s t r y of Justice.

* N u m b e r of prison beds. The p r i s o n s contain a

total of 4,210 beds.

* N u m b e r of annual admissions. During 1991, a

total of 8,874 persons e n t e r e d prison.

* A v e r a g e daily p o p u l a t i o n / N u m b e r of prisoners.
The d a i l y average p o p u l a t i o n in p r i s o n in F i n l a n d
has been d e c r e a s i n g since the late 1950s. At the
end of 1991, the prisons held 3,067 male p r i s o n e r s
and 108 female p r i s o n e r s over the age of 20. The
also held 21 persons who were 20 years of age or
younger.

* A c t u a l or e s t i m a t e d p r o p o r t i o n s of inmates
i n c a r c e r a t e d for:

P r o p o r t i o n of inmates incarcerated for:

Drug o f f e n s e s 3%
Violent offenses 24%
P r o p e r t y offenses 36%
Drunken d r i v i n g 18%
Oother offenses 19%
Total 100%

2. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .

* N u m b e r of prison guards. The total p r i s o n staff

is 2,608 persons (1990 data), of w h o m 308 are
c l a s s i f i e d as managerial, 1,624 as custodial, 257
as t r e a t m e n t and 419 as "other".

* T r a i n i n g and q u a l i f i c a t i o n s . The t r a i n i n g is
p r o v i d e d by the Prison T r a i n i n g Service. The
basic course lasts 13 months, and includes three
months of o n - t h e - j o b training.

* E x p e n d i t u r e on prison system. During the 1990

c a l e n d a r year, the budget of the p r i s o n
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n d e p a r t m e n t was 533 m i l l i o n
Finnmarks.

3. Prison conditions.
* Remissions. P r i s o n e r s who have s e r v e d a s e n t e n c e
of at least one m o n t h are n o r m a l l y g r a n t e d
a u t o m a t i c p a r o l e after h a v i n g s e r v e d
t w o - t h i r d s of their sentence. First-time
p r i s o n e r s are r e l e a s e d on p a r o l e a f t e r h a v i n g
served o n e - h a l f of their sentence. Persons on
p a r o l e are s u b j e c t to supervision.

* Work/education. Prisoners are r e q u i r e d to work,

a l t h o u g h they m a y be a l l o w e d to s t u d y instead.

* Amenities/privileges. By law, the e s s e n c e of

i m p r i s o n m e n t is s o l e l y the d e p r i v a t i o n of liberty.
In all other respects, life in p r i s o n s h o u l d be
a r r a n g e d in such a way that it r e s e m b l e s life in
free s o c i e t y as m u c h as possible. Prison
furloughs (leave) are g r a n t e d r e l a t i v e l y
liberally.

EXTRADITION AND TREATIES

* Extradition. F i n l a n d has e n t e r e d into a n u m b e r

of b i l a t e r a l and m u l t i l a t e r a l a g r e e m e n t s on
e x t r a d i t i o n and other mutual assistance.
The oldest a g r e e m e n t s are among the N o r d i c
countries; for example, the 1960 N o r d i c A g r e e m e n t
on the e x t r a d i t i o n of o f f e n d e r s and the
1963 N o r d i c A g r e e m e n t on the e n f o r c e m e n t of
sentences were a d o p t e d through the e n a c t m e n t of
parallel l e g i s l a t i o n in all the N o r d i c
countries. F i n l a n d has also had a g r e e m e n t s on
legal a s s i s t a n c e with the former U S S R (1978),
Poland (1980) and H u n g a r y (1981) as well as a
s e p a r a t e a g r e e m e n t on "skyjacking" w i t h the former
U S S R (1975). In 1990, F i n l a n d b e c a m e a m e m b e r of
the C o u n c i l of Europe, and has signed, a m o n g
others, the E u r o p e a n C o n v e n t i o n for the P r o t e c t i o n
of Human Rights and F u n d a m e n t a l Freedoms (1990),
the E u r o p e a n C o n v e n t i o n on E x t r a d i t i o n (1971) and
the E u r o p e a n C o n v e n t i o n on Mutual A s s i s t a n c e in
Criminal M a t t e r s (1981).
F i n l a n d refuses to e x t r a d i t e a F i n n i s h
national or a p e r s o n s u s p e c t e d of a m i l i t a r y or a
p o l i t i c a l offense, unless such an o f f e n s e i n v o l v e s
h o m i c i d e or a t t e m p t e d h o m i c i d e with intent.
F i n n i s h law will not a l l o w e x t r a d i t i o n if there is
the d a n g e r that the a c c u s e d will be p e r s e c u t e d on
the basis of racial, national, religious, or
p o l i t i c a l grounds, or of allegiance, or p o l i t i c a l
circumstance.
0

0
SOURCES

Aromaa, Kauko and Heiskanen, Markku:

P i i l o r i k o l l i s u u s 1988 (Hidden crime 1988),
National Research Institute of Legal Policy
Publication no. 117, Helsinki 1992
C r i m i n a l i t y Known to the Police, Central
Statistical Office of Finland XXIII A:123,
Helsinki (annual publication)
Joutsen, Matti: The Criminal Justice S y s t e m of
Finland. A General Introduction, M i n i s t r y of
Justice of Finland, Helsinki 1990
National Research Institute of Legal Policy:
R i k o l l i s u u s t i l a n n e 1991. Rikollisuus ja
seuraamusj,,rjestelm,, t i l a s t o j e n valossa.
(English summary: C r i m i n a l i t y in Finland
1991). Helsinki 1992 (annual publication).

Matti Joutsen
HEUNI
POB 34
SF-00931 Helsinki