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Pia Puolakka of the University of Helsinki and Jenni Kaunomäki, who is a researcher at the Prisoners’ Health Care Unit, and is preparing her thesis for the Helsinki University regarding VR assisted therapy with inmates, will share insights from the Finish use of virtual reality to support rehabilitation in prisons. VR has been used for therapeutical purposes, such as assisting with anxiety management, exposure therapy for phobias, relaxation, self-management, skills training and so on. Pia will outline how the latest pilot with the Finish Prison Healthcare Unit is being used to help young antisocial inmates with aggression and problematic behaviour issues. This session will explore how digital services and online consultation for mental health problems are being developed in Finnish prisons.
Virtual Reality Assisted Rehabilitation in Finnish Prisons
What role can digital technology play in reshaping rehabilitation within prisons? This was the focus of an IN-CJ Newsdesk 2023 session with Pia Puolakka (Finnish Prison and Probation Service) and Jenni Kaunamäki (Forensic Psychologist, Psychiatric Hospital for Prisoners), who presented Finland’s innovative use of virtual reality (VR) in offender management and treatment.
Pia outlined the “Smart Prison Project,” launched in 2018 to digitalise Finnish prisons. During COVID-19, the project accelerated with in-cell devices and expanded access to digital services. Within this framework, VR pilots were introduced in three prisons to support inmate wellbeing. Applications included relaxation, managing withdrawal symptoms, skills training, and exposure therapy for anxiety and phobias. Collaborations with Tampere University and Helsinki University Hospital provided virtual nature environments and therapy programmes adapted from psychiatric treatment, offering new ways to build adaptive self-regulation in restrictive prison settings.
Feedback from these pilots was positive. Inmates reported benefits from VR simulations such as walking in a forest or navigating social scenarios. The aim was not only to reduce anxiety and aggression but to provide meaningful opportunities for psychological restoration in an environment often characterised as hostile and isolating.
Jenni presented a parallel study focusing on young offenders with conduct disorders and callous-unemotional traits. Her project combines compassion-focused therapy (CFT) with VR interventions. By immersing participants in simulations linked to emotional regulation systems—threat, soothing, and drive—the programme seeks to increase compassion toward self and others while reducing antisocial behaviours. Recruitment is targeting 15–20-year-olds from reform schools and youth prison units. The motivation stems from the limitations of traditional therapy with youth who struggle with verbal and emotional processing, and the appeal of technology as an engaging platform.
Both speakers emphasised that while there may be cultural dimensions—such as the use of “walking on thin ice” as a calming simulation in Finland—the core therapeutic principles are widely applicable. VR offers safe, repeatable, and motivating opportunities to practise new skills, potentially transforming rehabilitation models internationally. As Jenni noted, “young people are not behaving badly because they are bad, but because they have had problematic backgrounds.” VR, paired with compassion-based approaches, may help rewrite those pathways.