Detention

Finland has two detention units. One is in Metsälä, Helsinki. The other is connected to the reception centre in Konnunsuo, Joutseno.

An asylum seeker can only be detained in situations that are specified in the law. You may be detained for example if your identity is unclear or there are reasonable grounds to suspect that you would try to stop the police from removing you from Finland. A person may also be detained if he or she is suspected to have committed a crime in Finland, or if there are grounds to believe that he or she poses a threat to national security. The detention units are closed areas which the detained persons cannot leave.

The decision to detain someone is made by a police or a border guard. The detained person must be immediately informed of the grounds of the detention. He or she must also be given information about the processing of the matter that concerns the detention, and about his or her possibility to receive legal aid.

The Finnish Immigration Service is responsible for the steering, planning and supervision of practical detention unit operations.