Organisation reform improves the effectiveness of the Prison and Probation Service

The new or­gan­i­sa­tion of the Prison and Pro­ba­tion Ser­vice of Fin­land is in­tro­duced on 1 Sep­tem­ber 2022. The goal of the re­form is to achieve a more united and ef­fec­tive or­gan­i­sa­tion. The reg­istry ser­vices of the abol­ished units are cen­tralised and the Eng­lish name of the or­gan­i­sa­tion is changed from the Crim­i­nal Sanc­tions Agency to the Prison and Pro­ba­tion Ser­vice.

The new organisation is composed of four departments, which are responsible for the development and guidance, the client processes, the administrative and support services and the core operations of the organisation. The Core Operations Department is in charge of eleven regional Prison and Probation Centres, which are made up of prisons and probation offices. In addition to the departments, the Internal Audit Unit, the Communications Unit and the International Affairs Unit operate directly under the Director General. The organisation reform does not affect the number of staff or branch offices.

Directors of the new organisation

Director General of the Prison and Probation Service Arto Kujala has appointed the directors of the departments and the prison and probation centres. The directors of the four departments are as follows: Director of Core Operations Department Riitta Kari, Director of Development and Guidance Department Pauli Nieminen, Director of Client Processes Department Anna Arola-Järvi and Director Administration and Support Services Teijo Mustonen.

Director General Arto Kujala considers the group of directors an excellent combination of innovation, experience and competence.

– This group can lead the Prison and Probation Service towards new goals, and we were also able to maintain the gender balance in the management, says Director General Arto Kujala.

Directors of the Prison and Probation Centres

The Prison and Probation Centres are responsible for the practical enforcement of sentences and the implementation of remand imprisonment. The directors of the Prison and Probation Centres are in charge of the development, lawfulness, performance and economy of their centre. In addition, they are responsible for the cooperation with local stakeholders, networks and public services.

– The Prison and Probation Centres are based on the division of the regional governments, which supports the cooperation with, among others, the social welfare and health care services, says Director of Core Operations Department Riitta Kari.

Prison and Probation Centre for Helsinki: Karoliina Taruvuori

Prison and Probation Centre for Uusimaa: Eeva Säisä

Prison and Probation Centre for Hämeenlinna: Kaisa Tammi

Prison and Probation Centre for Southwestern Finland: Juhani Järvi

Prison and Probation Centre for Häme and Pirkanmaa: Pasi Oksa

Prison and Probation Centre for Southeastern Finland: Marko Hokkanen

Prison and Probation Centre for North Savo: Juha Parkkisenniemi

Prison and Probation Centre for North Karelia: Jaana Leinonen-Nielsen

Prison and Probation Centre for Ostrobothnia and Central Finland: Tuula Tarvainen

Prison and Probation Centre for Oulu: Minna Saukko

Prison and Probation Centre for Lapland: Raimo Kärkkäinen

Registry services centralised in Helsinki as from 1 September 2022

All registry services are centralised in the office located in Helsinki as the former Central Administration, the Enforcement Unit and the Region and Assessment Centres are abolished as part of the organisation reform. As from 1 September 2022, official letters should be sent to the following address: Prison and Probation Service, Lintulahdenkatu 5, 00530 Helsinki. Official emails should be sent to the registry to kirjaamo.rise@om.fi.

Parcels can be sent directly to the units to the addresses listed on the website of the Prison and Probation Service.

As the organisation is reformed, so is the English name of the organisation. The new name is the Prison and Probation Service of Finland.

Further information:
Arto Kujala, Director General of the Prison and Probation Service, arto.kujala(at)om.fi, tel. +258 29 568 8500 (exchange)

Riitta Kari, Director of Core Operations Department, riitta.kari(at)om.fi, tel. +358 29 568 8401