Finland is a safe country and the general crime rate is low, although it has been on the rise in recent years. However, Finland has one of the highest numbers of homicides per capita in Europe, of which a majority is related to the influx of organised crime from Russia and the Baltic.

The legal system originated during the period of Swedish rule and it thus very Scandinavian influenced. Judges are appointed for life, with retirement set at age seventy, and they may be only removed due to serious incidents. Defendants have no obligation to employ an attorney for their defence in a Finnish court and they may represent themselves or be represented by another layman rather than by a lawyer, although this is not common practice.