Imprisonment

Imprisonment can be for a fixed term or for life. The final part of the sentence is usually served on parole outside prison. Short prison sentences may be suspended.

Imprisonment is imposed by a court and enforced by the Prison and Probation Service of Finland.

Fixed-term and life imprisonment

Fixed-term imprisonment is for a minimum of 14 days and a maximum of 12 years.

Life imprisonment is possible only for a small number of offences. You can be released on parole after 12 years of imprisonment at the earliest. A person sentenced to life imprisonment under the age of 21 may be released on parole after 10 years of imprisonment at the earliest.

Pre-trial detention or other coercive measures may be used in the pre-trial phase if they are considered useful in solving the crime. Other coercive measures include arrest, search and seizure. More information about coercive measures (tuomioistuimet.fi).

Suspended imprisonment

A suspended sentence of up to 2 years’ imprisonment may be imposed. Suspended imprisonment means that the convicted person does not go to prison. Instead, they are given a probationary period of 1–3 years.

If the sentenced person commits an offence during the probationary period for which they are sentenced to unconditional imprisonment, the conditional imprisonment may be enforced in whole or in part.

Suspended imprisonment can be reinforced by community service or some kind of supervision.

Unconditional imprisonment

Unconditional imprisonment means serving a sentence in prison. Before the start of the prison term, an enforcement plan is drawn up for the sentenced person, which defines the activities they will participate in and the goals they have for their term of imprisonment.

The prison to which the convicted person is placed is determined, for example, by where they come from and where their relatives live. Age, gender, personal preference and any previous convictions also play a role in the placement.

Unconditional prison sentence of up to 2 years can be served in an open prison. However, the prisoner must agree to the rules of the open prison, such as being substance-free.

Under certain conditions, community sanctions may be imposed instead of unconditional imprisonment. More information about community sanctions.

Supervised probation and parole

Supervised probation may start no earlier than six months before the release date. The probation is monitored by technical means, communication and substance monitoring.

Parole may be granted when half of the prison sentence has been served. The condition is that the convicted person has no previous convictions within the five years preceding the offence. If there are previous convictions, parole is delayed.

If the convicted person is under 21, they can be released on probation after serving one third of their prison sentence. However, they must not have had any convictions in the three years preceding the offence.

For someone on parole, a probationary period of up to three years may be set. Parole is enhanced by supervision if the probation period is at least one year, the offence was committed when the offender was under 21, the risk of re-offending is considered high or the offender wishes to be supervised.

Release from prison

Preparations for release begin well in advance. For those serving long sentences, planning starts about six months before release.

Release planning takes into account the convicted person’s life situation as a whole. If the convicted person so wishes, planning can be carried out in cooperation with social services, health, substance abuse, housing and employment authorities.