Civil service director Mikko Reijonen supports the mitigation of punishments for total refusers. In his opinion, the current practice is unreasonable.
Director of the Civil Service Mikko Reijonen supports the mitigation of punishments for those who refuse military and civil service, i.e. total refusers. In his opinion, the appropriate punishment for total refusers would be fines instead of the current prison sentences.
“In relation to the crime, the custodial sentences currently imposed are quite harsh. For some of the total refusers, the reason for the refusal is a conviction, which for quite a few is related to religion. They don’t want to be connected with matters related to killing and consider civil service to be part of a militaristic system,” says Reijonen.
Reijonen has stated before in public, that he does not consider it reasonable to sentence those who refuse to serve on the basis of religious, pacifist or similar deep convictions to prison. In Reijonen’s opinion, they should be released from service.
Now he says that he considers it a feasible alternative to the current punishment practice that a fine be imposed on those released from service.
Director of the Civil Service hopes that there would be a public debate in Finland about whether sentencing total refusers to prison is reasonable and reasonable in terms of the use of society’s resources.
He says that he is aware that the topic is socially sensitive and arouses strong emotions, especially now because of Russia’s military actions.
Nowadays, all total refusers are sentenced to prison in court. It is half the length of the remaining military or civilian service time.
The punishment lasts 173 days if the person has not completed a single day of military or civilian service.
Clear the vast majority of total refusers can serve their prison sentence instead of prison as a supervised punishment, i.e. as a kind of electronically monitored house arrest.
Reijonen points out that the system burdens many authorities.
“The supervision punishment includes continuous electronic supervision and inspection visits by supervisors at home, workplace or elsewhere. Before that, the civil services center handles the case and files a criminal report, the police conducts a preliminary investigation, the prosecutor files charges and the court processes the charges. The Criminal Sanctions Institute, on the other hand, finds out whether each person has the conditions to serve a prison sentence instead of prison as a supervised punishment,” Reijonen lists.
Reijonen according to which it is difficult to assess whether the number of total refusers would increase if prison sentences were replaced by fines.
“It would be unequal in a certain way if some could get rid of the service obligation by paying a fine. However, I don’t think it would increase the number of total refusers by an awful lot. If someone wants to avoid the service completely, it is generally known that the exemption can be obtained quite easily.”
Russia’s attack on Ukraine does not seem to have increased the number of total refusers. In 2022, the civil services center filed a criminal complaint against 33 total refusers. That’s the usual amount.
Its instead, Russia’s military operations have significantly increased the number of people who left the Defense Forces reserve.
Leaving the reserve means that a person who has completed conscript service moves from the reserve of the Defense Forces to civilian service.
The transfer takes place with an application, which requests a transfer to a civil service obligation, because reasons based on conviction prevent armed service. After the approved application, he will be removed from the Reserve of the Defense Forces.
The applicant must complete a supplementary service lasting five days. It includes training related to preparedness and the overall safety of society.
“The number of people applying for supplementary service increased a lot right after the Russian attack. The numbers are still at a higher level than before the Russian attack,” says Reijonen.
Read more: The government proposes: Total conscientious objectors who have been acquitted will no longer be reassigned to service
Read more: A surprising number of conscripts are now leaving the reserve
Read more: The separate freedom of Jehovah’s witnesses ended, the repeal of the exemption law affects the position of all total refusers
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