Open prison work and other activities

Open prison work means separately funded maintenance work that is carried out by prisoners in historic sites or conservation areas. The prisoners can work for, among others, the National Board of Antiquities, the Governing Body of Suomenlinna, Senate Properties, which manages state-owned property assets, or Metsähallitus, which manages state-owned land and water areas. In addition to the state-owned organisations, also municipalities, parishes, or non-profit associations can employ prisoners in their worksites.

In an open prison, you can get permission to work in a civilian workplace outside the prison. On certain conditions, you may also be allowed to carry out your own work on your own account. You need separate permission for civilian work and your own work. Open prisons have a separate procedure for applying for such permission.

Wages and use of money in open prisons

In an open prison, you are paid an activity allowance or open prison wages for participating in activities. The earnings and benefits are paid into your own bank account. Therefore, you need have your bank account number with you in prison.

The activity allowance is 4.62 or 7.35 euros per day in open prisons. The activity allowance is paid for other activities than open prison work.

Prisoners carrying out open prison work are paid wages, which is taxable income. The open prison wages can be 4.70 or 5.00 euros per hour. During the orientation to the work, the prisoners can receive the activity allowance. The expense allowance, which is 1.60 euros per each prison day, is paid on top of the open prison wages.

The earnings and benefits are paid into that account, which you have told us, on the dates of payment in accordance with the payment schedule of the Prison and Probation Service. It can also be a so-called foreign SEPA account. If you do not have a bank account, your earnings are paid into a prepaid card given by the Prison and Probation Service.

In open prisons, the primary recommendation is that you use your own personal payment card and bank account because the prepaid card provided by the Prison and Probation Service has restrictions on its use, such as online payments are not possible.

When you are released, the funds on the prepaid card given by the Prison and Probation Service will be transferred to the bank account you have told us, so you need to have your bank account number at this point at the latest. In open prisons, the money and the prepaid card are usually in your possession. The use of cash has become quite rare and, therefore, the payment cards are recommended as the primary method of payment, for instance, in the prison canteens run by Leijona Catering.