180 Temporary Prison Places to Arrive Next Week in Kylmäkoski and Helsinki

Prefabricated units begin arriving next week, bringing 180 temporary modular prison places to Kylmäkoski and Helsinki, YLE reports.

Kylmäkoski Prison will receive a single two-storey, 60-place ward, while Helsinki will get 120 places built the same way. The modules arrive by truck nearly complete. Each cell measures 11.8 square metres and has its own toilet. Wards include shared showers, phone booths and a dining area where inmates can prepare food.

Juha Eriksson, deputy director of Kylmäkoski Prison, said planning started last year and that the modular approach speeds delivery compared with conventional construction.

Senate Properties is leasing the units from Adapteo Finland for ten years under temporary building permits. The Criminal Sanctions Agency will pay about €3 million more a year in rent, and Senate's investments in foundations, yard work and security changes total roughly €5.3 million, split between the two prisons.

The Prison Service is hiring several dozen new staff for Helsinki and Kylmäkoski, but officials warn overcrowding remains substantial and several hundred additional places are still needed because of recent legal changes and tougher sentencing. Other expansion projects around Finland include new or extended capacity in Vantaa, Oulu, Vaala, Hämeenlinna, Turku and plans for a new prison in Lempäälä.