The research project Conditions for the Transfer and Removal from the Country of Foreign Prisoners aims to increase knowledge on, among other things, the transfer of prisoners and their removal from the country, the legal prerequisites for these measures, and the legislative and practical obstacles related to them. The project is part of the Government’s research and development activities (VN Tutkiva).
The project addresses an identified need for information by mapping the legal and practical challenges and constraints currently associated with transferring foreign prisoners to their countries of origin. The research seeks to answer questions such as:
- Could the transfer of prisoners to their home countries be made more efficient?
- What legal conditions do arrangements concerning the transfer of the enforcement of sentences impose on transferring the enforcement of a prison sentence to the prisoner’s home country?
- What legislative and practical obstacles to the transfer of the enforcement of prison sentences do these arrangements entail?
- What potential benefits and drawbacks could result from the broader adoption of bilateral prisoner transfer agreements?
- Is it possible to enhance the transfer of prisoners to their home countries when the country of origin is not party to any of the aforementioned arrangements, by what means, and what challenges might this involve?
- What possibilities exist for removing a prisoner to their home country other than surrender for the purposes of criminal proceedings, and how could the use of such measures be made more effective?
The objective of the research project is to examine the transfer of foreign prisoners from both a legal and a foreign policy perspective. Senior Research Fellow Saila Heinikoski from FIIA is responsible in particular for conducting international comparative research and for assessing prisoner transfers and removals from a foreign policy perspective.
The project is multidisciplinary in nature, considering not only the legal frameworks governing prisoner transfers and removal from the country, but also administrative practices and the realities of foreign policy. The project will generate new research-based knowledge to support political decision-making.
The project is led by the Faculty of Law at the University of Turku and will be carried out during 2026. A final report in Finnish will be published upon completion of the project.