The visit was an occasion to assess progress as regards the treatment of persons held in prisons and police establishments. In the prisons visited, particular attention was paid to the situation of persons held under special security regimes, and a further focus was on the continuing practice of holding remand prisoners in police establishments. In addition, for the first time in Finland, the delegation examined the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in nursing homes.
During the visit, the delegation held consultations with Leena Meri, Minister of Justice, Heikki Tamminen, State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, Anna Cantell-Forsbom, Director General of the Department for Clients and Services in Healthcare and Social Welfare, and Annakaisa Iivari, Director General of the Department for Communities and Functional Capacity, both from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, as well as with senior officials from the respective ministries and their administrative branches.
The delegation also met with Jari Råman, Parliamentary Ombudsman and both Deputy-Ombudsmen Susanna Lindroos-Hovinheimo and Mikko Sarja, in their capacity as the Finnish National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), as well as with staff from their office.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the Finnish authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT: Karin Rowhani-Wimmer (Head of delegation), Mari Amos, Tom Daems, Anna Jonsson Cornell, Dovilė Juodkaitė and Răzvan Horaţiu Radu.
They were supported by Hugh Chetwynd (Executive Secretary of the CPT), Aikaterini Lazana and Almut Schröder of the CPT Secretariat, and assisted by two experts: Vytautas Raškauskas, psychiatrist (Lithuania) and Kate Wood, medical doctor (United Kingdom).
The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:
Establishments visited under the Ministry of Interior
- Hämeenlinna Police Detention Facility
- Helsinki Police Detention Facility (Pasila)
- Lahti Police Detention Facility
- Rovaniemi Police Detention Facility
- Vantaa Police Detention Facility
Establishments under the Ministry of Justice
- Helsinki Prison
- Riihimäki Prison
- Turku Prison
- Vantaa Prison (targeted visit mainly focusing on treatment during police custody)
Establishments under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
- Attendo Villa Tavastia, Hämeenlinna
- Palvelutalo Näsmänkieppi, Rovaniemi
- Saarenkoti, Rovaniemi
