Criminal records

The criminal records are a national central register where data mostly on those sentenced to imprisonment are recorded. Data are gathered and stored as well as submitted for the imposition and execution of penal sanctions. Information can also be submitted for the clarification and assessment of a person's trustworthiness and personal aptitude.

WHAT DATA ARE ENTERED INTO THE CRIMINAL RECORDS?

An entry is made into the criminal records when a person is sentenced to:

unconditional or conditional imprisonment
besides conditional imprisonment, to pay a fine (supplementary fine), to do community service or is placed under supervision
community service
juvenile penalty or, instead of juvenile penalty, to pay a fine
dismissal, or
sentence is waived on grounds of the person´s criminal irresponsibility.

Other than the above-mentioned pecuniary penalties or conversion imprisonments are not entered into the criminal records. An entry is not made of an imprisonment passed by virtue of the Act on Non-military Service.

A fine imposed on a body corporate (company, foundation, etc.) is entered into the criminal records.

The data on sentences imposed abroad on a Finnish national or a foreigner permanently living in Finland are entered into the register if the sanctions are equivalent of the above-mentioned ones, which are to be entered into the register.

The information about a convicted person having served his/her sentence or possibly been pardoned is entered into the register.

WHEN ARE ENTRIES DELETED FROM THE CRIMINAL RECORDS?

The data on a person are deleted from the register at different times according to the severity of the punishment.

In five years from the date of issue of a legally valid judgment, the data are deleted on a person's

conditional imprisonment
a fine imposed besides conditional imprisonment (supplementary fine), community service or supervision
juvenile penalty and a fine imposed instead
dismissal
a fine imposed on a corporation

In ten years from the date of issue of a legally valid judgment, the data are deleted on

not more than two years´ unconditional imprisonment
community service penalty

In twenty years from the date of issue of a legally valid judgment, the data are deleted on

over two and not more than five years´ imprisonment
waiving of sentence on grounds of the person´s criminal irresponsibility

After a person has deceased or turned 90, the data are deleted on

over five years´ imprisonment. Then, at the latest, all the remaining entries on the person are deleted.

The data on an individual penalty are not removed if the criminal records contain data that cannot be removed yet on the grounds of the above rules being applicable to the decision.

Accordingly, if a person commits new offences before the previous entry in the criminal records has been removed, all the data on him/her are retained until the respective write-off period of the heaviest sentence has expired.

The submission of data is presented on page Submission of Data in the Criminal Records and its subpages.

Updated 15.6.2010