Judicial Administration in Finland Open Doors Days 2017 and 2018

Finland celebrated the 100th anniversary of its independence in 2017. To mark the occasion, a number of judicial administration units, including courts, enforcement authorities, legal aid offices and prisons opened their doors to the public on the 25^th and 26^th of August 2017 and on the 7^th of October 2017. The public had a chance to visit these different judicial administration units and learn about their roles in the Finnish justice system. In the courts, the public enjoyed presentations given by court staff on various topics, such as different types of cases decided in the courts, publicity of court proceedings, what to do if you become a victim of a crime and job opportunities available in the courts. In some district courts, the public were invited to follow show trials in criminal and court mediation cases performed by court staff and local lawyers. In prisons, the public had an opportunity to get a tour of the prison premises, meet a prison dog and learn about community service and education opportunities provided for prisoners.

The Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2018. As part of the celebrations, both courts opened their doors to the public on the 15th of September 2018. At the event, the public were invited to visit the court buildings and were given short presentations on the work and history of the courts. The public were also given the rare opportunity to view the courts’ art collection. For example, in the Supreme Administrative Court the public were able to view the preserved office of the former president of the court and the first president of the Republic of Finland, Mr K.J. Ståhlberg.