Finland's prison population has increased sharply in recent years. As recently as 1999 the number of prisoners was at a record low, but since then the increase has been rapid.

   

Last year the total number of prisoners in Finland increased by about 250 - a figure equal to the number of inmates in a single large prison. In mid-July there were a total of 3,221 people held in Finnish prisoners, and the number is likely to increase further.

A number of different factors

are behind the trend. One important explanation is the tougher line taken on crime and criminals. Longer sentences are being handed out for violent crimes and those related to drugs.

   

In the mid-1990s non-suspended sentences were handed out in about 15% of all criminal cases. Now the proportion has grown to 19%.

   

The use of community service as an alternative to prison has decreased since 1997. At that time the law changed, making prison a more frequent alternative for convicts with a criminal background.

This was the first sign

of a tougher line on sentencing, says special researcher Timo Aho of the Criminal Policy Department of the Ministry of Justice.

   

The minimum sentence for aggravated assault was raised from six months to a year, which means that those convicted are automatically ineligible for community service.

   

Changes in the fining system led to higher fines for many violations and an increase in prisoners incarcerated for not paying a fine. There are about 1,200 such people in prison at any one time.

   

Another factor increasing the prison population are the larger number of foreign citizens serving time in Finnish prisons. Many of them are involved in drugs, and drug crimes have been attracting sentences of up to ten years or more.

   

The last main reason for the increase in the prison population is the continuing growth in serious crime in Finland. More crimes carrying long sentences have simply been solved in Finland.

A new prison is being planned

for Turku, but it is unlikely to help the situation much, as it is mainly replacing other units that are being taken out of use. There would be room in minimum security facilities, where the inmates are allowed to work outside of the institution during the day. According to a recent report, about 40% of prisoners would be eligible for such institutions.

   

However, there is one major problem - lack of money to pay for the work that the inmates do in the open prisons.

   

The overcrowding problem is worst in the traditional closed prisons of southern Finland.

Crowded conditions

lead to an increase in conflicts among prisoners and other psychological malaise. At the same time systematic rehabilitation work and substance abuse therapy become more difficult.

   

One possible solution seen by Raimo Valtonen, head of the Vantaa remand prison, would be to get rid of those being held in prison for non-payment of fines.

   

"We need some kind of solution. The situation is the result of the fact that courts turn the fines of indigent people into prison time, even though they do not need to do so."