Government Report on the Administration of Justice

Abstract

This Government Report on the Administration of Justice provides a comprehensive and concise overview of the current state of the administration of justice in Finland and its operating conditions and development trends. The field of administration of justice is broad. This Report focuses on the activities of the court system, the National Prosecution Authority, the National Enforcement Authority, the Prison and Probation Service, the public legal aid and guardianship districts, the Legal Register Centre, the Consumer Disputes Board and the Non-Discrimination and Equality Board.

International comparisons show that the rule of law has a solid foundation in Finland. However, the insufficiency of budget appropriations allocated for the administration of justice and the operating conditions of actors in the field have given rise to significant concerns already for a longer time and, despite significant increases in appropriations during the current parliamentary term, the situation remains unsatisfactory. Key problems regarding legal protection include the excessive length of legal proceedings and the high cost of trials. At the same time, the personnel are overburdened.

The Government Report sets medium-term objectives for achieving reasonable quality in the administration of justice. It also presents proposals for measures to ensure sufficient resources for the administration of justice, to improve the internal structures and processes, and to improve the availability of legal services and customer service. Securing appropriate operating conditions for the administration of justice and achieving the objectives set for the administration of justice require a total of approximately EUR 90 million in permanent annual additional funding