For media

Communication Services of the Prison and Probation Service of Finland

Prison and Probation Service of Finland
Communications Unit

Lintulahdenkatu 5,
FI-00530 Helsinki, Finland
tel. +358 2956 88500
fax +358 2956 65440

e-mail: viestinta.rise(a)om.fi

Head of Communications Päivi Kaikkonen
tel. +358 29 56 88570

Senior Specialist (communications) Marianna Järvinen
tel. +358 29 56 88431

Senior Specialist (communications) Kirsi Suojoki
tel. +358 29 56 88557

Senior Specialist (communications) Pihla Pitkänen
tel. +358 29 56 88440

Senior Specialist (communications) Katja Mäkelä
tel. +358 29 56 81121

Senior Specialist (communications) Leena Vänni
tel. +358 29 56 88475

The email addresses are in the form forename.surname(a)om.fi

The Communications Unit replies to the requests for material, brochures, publications and information concerning the field.

International visitors and foreign media

Do you want to contact a prisoner? You can find instructions for contacting a prisoner under the heading Contact a prisoner . Each prison has specific instructions for visiting prisoners, which can be found in the contact information of the units .

The Prison and Probation Service of Finland receives visitors from other governments, prison and probation organisations and other official bodies.

The International Affairs Unit of the Prison and Probation Service coordinates matters related to international visits and all related communication should be directed there. Contacting individual prisons or probation offices will not speed up the process.

The Finnish prison and probation administration attracts interest around the world. Due to the capacity and everyday operation of the units, we are not able to carry out all requested visits. If you want to visit us, please contact us well ahead of time. Ultimately, the head of the prison or the probation office decides whether it is possible to visit their unit. The unit has to be notified of the visit well in advance. The details of the visitors, including their names and dates of birth, will be sent to the unit. When the visitors arrive at the unit, they have to prove their identity with a photo ID.

The International Affairs Unit will plan and schedule the visit. The visits are mainly short tours. The length of a visit may vary from a couple of hours to a couple of days. Usually, a visit is arranged in one unit, but longer a visit may be arranged in two units. Visits will be conducted in English. Please note that the visiting organisation must cover all the costs of their trip. These include, among other things, the travelling expenses to and from Finland, local transportation, accommodation, meals and possible interpretation. Please notice that the distances may be quite long in Finland.

If you are interested in visiting us, please email Senior Specialist Mika Peltola, International Affairs Unit, at mika.peltola(at)om.fi.

Your email should include the following information:

Contact information:
Name
E-mail
Telephone number
Names and titles of the participants
Number of participants
Who do you represent?
Desired date for the visit
Purpose and goal of the visit
Topic or specific focal points of the visit
Have you contacted any other Nordic countries? If yes, which ones?

Media representatives and researchers:
Do you want to photograph, film or interview prisoners?
What language will you use in the interview?
Where and in what form will it be published?

Please read the instructions for interview permits and photographing and filming permits in prison before contacting us below.

Interviewing the experts

Please contact directly the Director of Department or Head of Unit of the proper department/unit.

Interview permits and photographing and filming permits in prison

Interviews always require both a written consent of the prisoner and a recommendation from the prison director. A written agreement ensures that the legal protection of the interviewee and his or her acquaintances is realised as well as possible during and after the interview. The consent of the prisoner is acquired by the prison.

A written photographing and filming permit is granted by the prison director. The permit includes the purpose and time of the photographing or filming as well as the conditions set by the prison with regard to the photographing and filming situation.

In the photographing and filming situation, it has to be made sure that a person, who possibly appears in the images but is not involved in the photographing or filming process, cannot be recognised. This applies to both the prisoners and the personnel.

The security technology or other structural details of the prison cannot be photographed or filmed.

Arrival in prison

The prison has to be notified of the arrival in prison well in advance. Visitor details, i.e. the name and the date of birth, are sent to the prison director. The identity of the visitors is checked against a photo identification document on arrival.

The visitors should reserve time for the entry into prison because the security check might take a while depending on the amount of equipment the visitors have.

Especially when visiting a closed prison, the visitors have to take into account that mobile phones and other means of communication have to be left in custody for the duration of the visit for security reasons.

If the visit requires unusual equipment or it takes place outside the regular visiting hours, the possible special permits and arrangements have to be negotiated with the prison director beforehand.