Number and duration of prison leaves granted based on length of term of sentence RISE/5239/2025

Regulation
22 January 2026
Legal basis: Chapter 14, section 12 of the Imprisonment Act
In force: 1 February 2026 until further notice
Repeals:Regulation on the number and length of permissions of leave 10/004/2018
For: Prison and Probation Service

1. Number of prison leaves

Under chapter 14, section 7 of the Imprisonment Act, prison leave of at most three days per each two-month period may be granted on the basis of the length of the term of sentence (prison leave quota).

The length of prison leave periods is calculated according to calendar periods. The first two‑month prison leave period begins on the date when the prisoner’s first granted prison leave begins. This also applies when the earliest date for prison leave has been brought forward in accordance with chapter 14, section 3, subsection 3 of the Imprisonment Act (so‑called L‑time). It is irrelevant whether the prison leave actually takes place.

The prison leave period ends on the date that corresponds numerically to the previous date from which the calculation began. For example, if the prison leave period starts on 15 January 2026, it ends on 14 March 2026. If there is no corresponding date in the month in which the calculation ends, the prison leave period ends on the last day of that month. The next prison leave period begins on the day following the end of the previous period. For example, if the prison leave period starts on 30 December 2025, it ends on 28 February 2026. The next period begins on 1 March 2026 and ends on 30 April 2026.

Regardless of the length of the last prison leave period, a maximum of three days of prison leave may be granted during that period.

If the L-time is postponed to a date after the ongoing prison leave period due to a change in the term of sentence, the prison leave period begins on the date when the first prison leave granted after this begins. Any unused prison leave days from the old prison leave period cannot be granted after the change. However, prison leave that has already been granted will not be revoked, unless otherwise provided in chapter 14, section 9 of the Imprisonment Act. If a prisoner has already used prison leave days of the old period, the used prison leave time is not deducted from the prison leave days of the new period.

Prison leave granted on grounds other than the length of the sentence does not reduce the prisoner’s prison‑leave quota.

2. Duration of prison leaves

Prison leave is granted either in hours or in full days, or as a combination of full days and hours. If the prison leave lasts a maximum of 12 hours, it reduces the prison leave quota by half a day. If the prison leave lasts more than 12 hours but no more than 24 hours, it reduces the prison leave quota by one day. If the prison leave exceeds 24 hours, the duration is rounded up accordingly to the nearest half or full day. The duration of prison leave is calculated according to the actual length of the leave.

Director General Anna Arola-Järvi

Lawyer Mia Sandberg