Finland’s only women’s prison overcrowded as temporary units brought in from 500 km away

Finland’s sole closed women’s prison in Hämeenlinna is severely overcapacity, with temporary relief arriving this autumn in the form of modular cell units transported from a shuttered facility nearly 500 kilometres away, reports Yle.

The 120-bed prison recently housed over 160 inmates at its peak, forcing staff to double up in single-occupancy cells. “When capacity is exceeded, we find beds wherever we can—usually by placing two inmates in a cell meant for one,” said Minna Saukko, director of the Häme and Pirkanmaa criminal sanctions agency. Overcrowding has heightened tensions among inmates and increased stress for staff.

A temporary solution will arrive in autumn when two relocatable cell units, capable of housing 64 inmates, are transported from the closed Pelson prison in northern Finland. “This is first aid—we hope it will suffice for now,” Saukko said, acknowledging the stopgap measure as the prison explores options like fold-out bunks to further increase capacity.

The surge in female inmates—rising from 550 annual admissions a decade ago to 996 last year—has outpaced infrastructure. While women still represent only 8% of Finland’s prison population, up from 2–3% in the 1970s, experts attribute the growth to broader societal participation. “Women’s involvement in all forms of social activity, including crime, has increased over time,” noted Tuomo Halmeenmäki, a specialist at the Criminal Sanctions Agency.

Daily operations have suffered, with inmates now sharing devices for communication and administrative tasks. The prison’s family unit, designed for mothers with infants under two, has even been repurposed to house up to ten inmates during peak congestion. Authorities are also planning a new 100-bed facility near Lempäälä’s Ideapark, though construction timelines remain unclear.