Infamous Prison Lifer Valjakkala to be Paroled

Valjakkala's parole was granted by the Helsinki Court of Appeal in agreement with the Criminal Sanctions Agency. Under the terms of his parole, Valjakkala will report to the Probation Service.

Valjakkala shot and killed a man and his 15-year-old son and stabbed the man's wife to death in a graveyard in Åmsele, Sweden, in 1988. The Finn fled and was arrested a week later in Denmark. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and deported to Finland.

Probationary period before parole The Criminal Sanctions Agency is now considering whether Valjakkala should serve a four month probationary period prior to full parole being granted. The probationary period would be run under intense supervision whereby Valjakkala must be traceable at all times and any use of alcohol and drugs monitored. In addition, the probationary period includes plans for his housing and livelihood. Both probation and the parole periods will be supervised by the Criminal Sanctions Agency. Exceptionally long sentence Valjakkala is incarcerated in Kuopio prison in eastern Finland. He was transferred to Kuopio after escaping from Hamina open prison and going on the run at the end of last year. It was the fifth time he had escaped or attempted to. He has also unsuccessfully applied for a pardon several times in the past. Valjakkala has been prison for nearly 20 years. The average time served for a life sentence in Finland is between 12 and 15 years, Fouganthine will have been in prison for 19 years before his release. That is an unusually long time in Finland, said Criminal Sanctions Agency spokesperson Paula Grönlund, The usual life sentence is served for 15 years with prisoners normally released after 12. The news of Valjakkala's parole has been greeted with dismay in Sweden, especially in the village of Åmsele. No official comment has been reported but Justice Minister Beatrice Ask has earlier strongly criticised talk of parole. YLE