Legal assistance

You are entitled to use legal assistance when you report the crime to the police and at hearings and the trial.

Low- and middle-income earners can be granted legal aid at the expense of the state. In such cases the fee of the attorney is paid either in full or in part from state funds depending on the income of the victim.

Legal aid is applied for at the State Legal Aid Offices. They will ascertain the financial circumstances of the applicant. The legal aid includes, for example, counselling and assistance at the trial. The attorney can be a public legal aid attorney employed at the legal aid office, a private lawyer or some other jurist. Legal aid can be given at every stage of the proceedings.

Regardless of the income of the victim the court can grant him or her an attorney for the pre-trial investigation and the trial if the matter concerns a sexual crime or violence committed by somebody close to the victim. The fee of the attorney will in such cases be paid from state funds.

Support person

If you consider yourself in need of support you may ask somebody to assist you in the different phases of the proceedings. The Service for Crime Victims will provide trained support persons free of charge.

In connection with sexual crimes or violence committed by a person close to the victim the court can appoint a support person if the victim does not need an attorney. In such cases the fee and other expenses of the support person will be paid from state funds.

Right to interpretation

You are entitled to use a language you master in all matters related to the examination of the crime. When necessary, interpretation to such a language must be arranged. Interpretation may be needed, for example, during the police interrogations, at the doctor and during the trial. The authorities are duty bound to make sure that an interpreter will be summoned if their own language skills are insufficient.

If your mother tongue is Finnish or Swedish you have the right to use it. The Sami are entitled to use the Sami language within their Home Territory. The authorities shall provide interpretation when necessary.