Life prisoners serve longer sentences during Halonen's presidency

Tarja Halonen

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During Tarja Halonen's first term as the President of the Republic, prisoners serving life sentences remained incarcerated for an average of three years longer than during the preceding presidencies of Martti Ahtisaari and Mauno Koivisto.
      In its Monday issue the Keskisuomalainen daily revealed that Halonen pardoned prisoners after they had served an average of 13.18 years of their sentence.
      When Ahtisaari was in the office (1994-2000), the life prisoners were paroled after 10.81 years. During Koivisto's two terms (1982-1994), the corresponding average figure was 10.02 years.
      As far as the number of pardon appeals, however, the sitting President has showed greater leniency than her immediate predecessor. Halonen approved every 80th appeal, against Ahtisaari's figure of 1 in 370.
     
The number of life prisoners in Finnish jails has quadrupled in 15 years, but the pardon appeals figure has not risen at the same rate - indeed it has declined quite sharply.
      President Koivisto used to receive around 350 annual clemency appeals. Towards the end of Ahtisaari's term, this figure had fallen to 150. During Halonen's first term, it fluctuated around both sides of 200.
      An amendment due to become effective in October will turn over the bulk of the pardon appeal processing from the President to the Helsinki Court of Appeal.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Cost of correctional services on up; prison inmates cost around EUR 40,000 annually (18.1.2006)
  Convicts may soon end up queueing for placement in prison (13.10.2005)

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