Visits and contacts with the outside world

You may be given a permission to communicate with people outside the prison by telephone. In most prisons, you can make phone calls at fixed times with phone cards you have purchased yourself. If the prison staff asks, you have to tell who you intend to call. A member of the prison staff may listen to the call if you are suspected of any wrongdoing. If the call is being listened to, you and the recipient of the call are notified of it beforehand. A telephone call between you and an authority supervising the operations of the prison or your advocate or legal-aid counsel cannot be listened to.

There are no restrictions on the amount of correspondence by post. However, received and sent postal items may be scanned or read if there is a special reason for it. The special reason may be, for instance, a suspicion of prohibited substances or prevention of an offence.

You have the right to receive visitors at times reserved for visits on weekends. For a special reason, visits can also be arranged at other times.

You can make video calls to communicate with people close to you. The availability of video connections may vary between prisons.

It is possible to maintain contacts with the outside world by applying for prison leave .

You can also apply for permission to attend an event held outside the prison. Such permission may be granted under escort or under necessary supervision for at most 12 hours.