Number of people serving prison sentences or community sanctions continued to rise – Statistical Yearbook 2024 published
The Prison and Probation Service’s statistics for 2024 cover, among other things, the sentence lengths, the most common offences, and the trends influencing the number of people serving prison sentences or community sanctions. The rise in the prison population is attributed to factors such as previous legislative changes, longer average prison terms, offences committed by foreign nationals, and an increase in the number of remand prisoners.
Record numbers of remand and foreign prisoners
The average daily number of prisoners was 3 356, which was over 200 more than the previous year. The number of sentenced prisoners increased by 5.5 per cent (average 2 574) and the number of remand prisoners by 11.2 per cent (average 782). The last time the number of remand prisoners was this high was in the 1970s. The average daily number of foreign prisoners also reached a record high (687 prisoners) with about 130 more than in 2023. The number of foreign prisoners increased by over 20 per cent.
In 2024, a total of 2 814 prisoners serving unconditional prison sentences were released. The average sentence term served was 11.4 months. There reflects a slight increase in the length of prison terms over recent years, as in 2015, the average was 10.5 months. However, more than half of prisoners are still released within six months.
Over the past decade, the proportion of first-time sentenced prisoners has risen from 37 to 46 per cent, now representing nearly half of all prisoners. Based on the principal offence, the largest group (33%) consisted of those sentenced for violent offences, of whom 20 per cent were sentenced for homicide and 13 per cent for assault. The share of prisoners sentenced for narcotics offences was considerable with 23 per cent of all sentenced prisoners. Those sentenced for sexual offences accounted for 9 per cent of all prisoners.
The number of escapes has declined over the past ten years. In 2024, there were fewer than five escapes, most of which occurred when the escaped prisoners were in a work site outside the prison walls or being escorted by a prison officer or other authority. No prisoners escaped from within prison facilities.
Clear increase in the number of completed community service sentences
In 2024, the average daily number of persons serving community sanctions was 3 941. The average number of persons sentenced to community service was 1 721. For the first time, the proportion of persons in the preparation phase of all sentenced persons fell below 50 per cent, which was a positive indicator of the progress of enforced sentences. The number of completed community service sentences (1 392), which increased by 8 per cent compared with 2023, also suggests that the processes have become more efficient. The number of new enforced community service sentences (1 810) remained at the same level as the previous year.
The average number of persons sentenced to conditional imprisonment with supervision was 15 per cent higher than in 2023. The increase was entirely due to a rise in the number of supervised young persons in the enforcement phase serving their sentence. In 2024, the number of persons serving juvenile punishment was very low, with an average of only ten.
The most common principal offence of persons sentenced to community service was driving while intoxicated. In the 2024 survey, their share was 41 per cent. The next most common principal offences were offences against property (19%) and offences against life and health (14%).
The age distribution of persons sentenced to community sanctions was dominated by persons aged 21 to 49, who made up over 70 per cent of the total. There was no significant change in the age structure of sentenced persons between 2023 and 2024.
11 June 2025: the Statistical Yearbook is now also available in English.
Further information:
Senior Specialist Tuomo Halmeenmäki
tel. +358 29 568 8486
firstname.halmeenmaki(at)om.fi