Country

Finland

Detention issue

Protection against violence

FRA research findings

View details

Legal instruments & key provisions

Legal instrument Key provision
Imprisonment Act (Vankeuslaki/Fängelselag)The authorities in charge of the enforcement of imprisonment shall ensure that during the imprisonment no person unjustifiably violates the personal integrity of the prisoner. The Act includes provisions such as for example participation in activities could be forbidden if a prisoner disturbs activities or endangers safety and order in a prison.

NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM RECOMMENDATIONS

Year Recommendation Report
2016The NPM recommended that the police prison should avoid using the cell if it does not have a call button unless it can provide continuous monitoring. Report details
2018The Imprisonment Act requires cells to be equipped with alarm devices that can be used to contact prison staff immediately. Using the alarm button to contact prison staff required the person placed in the cell to go down on their knees and lie down on their stomach to reach the button. This could put the person’s life in danger in the event of, for example, a seizure. From the perspective of the persons deprived of their liberty, the location of the button could be seen as extremely humiliating (2338/2018). Report details
2019The NPM report points out that, in prisons such as the Sukeva Prison, prison officers weres unable to find a solution so that prisoners could serve their sentences without experiencing coercion or threats from other prisoners. Report details