Project Partners

Name of the organisation:	Ministry of Justice
Address:	Eteläesplanadi 10, Helsinki, Finland
Tel:	+358 2951 6001
Fax:	+358 9 1606 7730
Web site:	http://www.om.fi/en/index.html

Name of the contact person:	Ms Elina Ruuskanen
Function:	Planning Officer
Tel:	+358504934976
Fax:	+358916067900
E-mail:	[email protected]

Type of organisation:

Public Authority

Fields of action:

Public Authorities

DESCRIPTION
OF THE ORGANISATION

The Ministry of Justice maintains and develops the legal order and legal safeguards and oversees the structures of democracy and the fundamental rights of citizens. The Ministry is responsible for the drafting of the most important laws, the functioning of the judicial system and the enforcement of sentences.

The Minister of Justice is Head of the Finnish Ministry of Justice. The Permanent Secretary assists the Minister in leading and developing the activities of the Ministry, the strategic planning and the management by performance of the administrative sector of the Ministry and the management by results of the Ministry.

The Ministry of Justice has a Law Drafting Department, a Department of Judicial Administration and a Criminal Policy Department.

Operation and finances

Operational Idea of the Ministry of Justice: The Ministry of Justice aims at an open, active and safe society where people can be confident that their rights will be respected.

As part of the Government the Ministry of Justice lays down guidelines for legal policy, develops statute policy and directs its administrative sector.

The Ministry of Justice sees to

the preconditions of a functioning democracy,
the quality of the judicial system and the transparency of legal relationships,
the access of people and organisations to effective means of realizing their rights,
the prerequisites of a fair trial,
effective crime prevention in cooperation with other authorities,
an equitable and effective penal system and enforcement of penalties, and
the international cooperation within its field.

Duties of the Ministry of Justice

A total of 9,500 persons are employed in the administrative sector of the Ministry of Justice, 250 of whom work for the Ministry. The administrative sector makes up fewer than two percent of the annual Government expenditure.

EXPERIENCE IN PREVIOUS PROJECTS

The Ministry of Justice was responsible for a twinning project called "Support to a more efficient and modern operation and functioning of the Croatian court system" in 2004-2006.

The Information Management Unit of the Ministry of Justice participated in "Criminal Records Interchange and Storage" project in 2007-2010.

EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE OF THE ORGANIZATION IN THE PROJECT’S SUBJECT AREA

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the enforcement of sentences in Finland. Furthermore, the strategic planning of criminal policy is one of the tasks of the Ministry of Justice. This includes among other things the drafting of laws on new forms of sentences as well as enhancing possibilities for a gradual, controlled release from prison.

CONTRIBUTIONS THAT CAN BE PROVIDED TO THE PROJECT

The expertise of Finnish members participating in the project, both from the Ministry of Justice and the Criminal Sanctions Agency is the main contribution to the project.

CONTACT PERSON’S EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE

Elina Ruuskanen works as a Planning Officer in the Department of Criminal Policy in the Ministry of Justice, Finland. She has graduated from the University of Helsinki in 2005. She has previously worked in the Police College of Finland and in the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI).