Hämeenlinna prison is a closed facility, which also houses a family wing for pregnant inmates and the parents of children under the age of two.
Smokers will receive nicotine patches at the prison’s expense for the first three months.
Prison Governor, Samuli Laulamaa, is optimistic about the project.
“The facility could be smoke-free for both staff and inmates by the beginning of next year, making us the first correctional facility of its kind in Finland,” he says.
The move is in line with current legislation on smoking, which aims to protect people from inhaling toxic tobacco smoke against their will.