Three recipients awarded the Cross of Merit of Prison Service

Director General of the National Archives Service of Finland Jussi Nuorteva was awarded the Cross of Merit with clasp. For more than 30 years, Mr Nuorteva has demonstrated particular interest in the prison service.

In 1987, he contributed to the VAHO 100 project with his research report, Prisoners - prisons - war: Finland's prison service during World War II (Vangit - vankilat - sota: Suomen vankeinhoitolaitos toisen maailmansodan aikana).

Later he complied a register of prison service, published in 1989, and mapped and compiled old archive material from different prisons. Currently these collections are held at the National Archives and the Prison Museum.

Mr Nuorteva has also studied Prison Service Authority material and written descriptions of inventories. In his post as the Director General of the National Archives, Mr Nuorteva has closely followed the work of the prison service and initiated several projects related to it.

Cantor and prison visitor

The other recipients of the Cross of Merit of Prison Service were Vaasa Prison's longstanding part-time cantor Pauli Mutka, and Kylmäkoski Prison's long-term volunteer worker and Red Cross prison visitor Erkki Salo.

In addition to serving as the cantor at Vaasa Prison's church services for 35 years, Mr Mutka has actively contributed to the spiritual work of the prison, and lead and guided music teaching and activities in the prison. He has, for example, recorded spiritual music with the prisoners.

Over the years, Mr Salo has visited a number of long-term prisoners at Kylmäkoski, offering them the opportunity to talk and have a trusting relationship with somebody outside the prison. Maintaining contacts with the world beyond the prison helps prisoners integrate in society after imprisonment.

Since 1957, the Cross of Merit of Prison Service has been awarded for contributions to the prison service. The Cross of Merit is proposed by the Director General of the Criminal Sanctions Agency and awarded by the Minister of Justice.

For further information, please contact Esa Vesterbacka, Director General, Criminal Sanctions Agency, tel. +358 29 56 88400