IamA 19-year-old conscientious objector. After 173 days in prison, I was released last Saturday. AMA!

How was it in prison? I hear prisons in Finland, Sweden, Norway etc are relatively nice. Also, how did your fellow inmates treat you when they heard what you were in for?

Suomenlinna prison is a so-called open prison, which means that inmates are relatively low-security and moving (mostly) freely in the prison perimeter was permitted within the daily timetable's limitations. Most Finnish prisons are "closed" and correspond more to a layperson's view of a prison.

As for other prisoners' reactions, I never really got anything too negative. Some thought I am fighting windmills, some thought my choice was admirable, but no one was hostile towards me due to my reason of imprisonment. Most seemed to think that I didn't belong in prison, but nevertheless respected me standing up for my beliefs.

What kind of crimes did the other inmates in the open prison commit?

We had all kinds of people from sexual criminals to drug dealers and white-collar criminals. My long-time roommate was convicted of a white-collar crime, but the house I lived in also had people with a history of violence and/or sexual crime. There was even a triple murderer in Suomenlinna a few years ago, though I (luckily) wasn't there then.

how common is it for people to refuse? was there anyone else in the prison in your situation?

The yearly amount of total objectors is about a few dozen. When I first came to the prison, I heard there was another one there at the time, but I never got the chance to meet them.

You've gotten a lot of different responses in this thread. Regardless of whether people agree or disagree, I'd just like to point out that you made a non-violent act of resistance, accepted the consequences that came with it, and in doing so created a larger discussion. That is a textbook example of the right way to approach civil disobedience so you should be commended for standing up for your beliefs and getting involved in your community.

Since I have to ask a question, what kind of music do you like?

I have a very broad taste, as long as the music is actually done music first: I can switch from a Sibelius symphony to some prog death to an a cappella choir. I also sing bass in a choir, play the clarinet in a wind band and sometimes compose simple melodies.

Wait a second, if you were in prison for 127 days and got out only last Saturday, how is your reddit age 28 days?

Prisoners at Suomenlinna can get access to Internet for approved reasons, though there are strict limitations: no browsing any sites not explicitly approved, no deleting browser history, etc.

As someone wholly unfamiliar with Finland, what's the reason that women don't have join up, either military or civilian service?
Is there any sentiment among the general public that they should or not, what's the general opinion?

Women have historically been exempt - in fact, the Finnish law on equality of the sexes specifically states that "women being exempt from military service is not discrimination". The idea that women and men should be treated the same military-wise has only recently become even somewhat mainstream politics. Public opinion on the matter is mixed, but I can't find a recent survey about it; a conscription-based military is fairly popular, though.

This comment chain also had questions about JWs and Åland. Jehovah's Witnesses are exempt due to a dated law that grants any person who can prove that they are a Jehovah's Witness complete exemption, even though JWs allow civilian service nowadays. As for Åland, the islands form an autonomous demilitarized zone where native residents have special rights, one of them being exemption from service unless a special law is enacted to enable service in certain civilian environments. Such a law has never been enacted, so the people of Åland remain fully exempt, though some choose to volunteer in the military.

what socio-economic class are you? rich, poor, middle class etc?

Middle class, I guess. My family has never been too wealthy, but I don't think we're poor either. I am obviously still relatively young and my future isn't dead set yet, but an academic degree is definitely part of my plan. I will finish upper secondary school in a few months and getting a place in a university should be no problem with my study results.

How long was the mandatory service term?

Military service lasts 165, 225 or 347 days, while civilian service always lasts 347 days. My 173 days were calculated from the last number: the sentence of a total objector equals half of the civilian service left rounded down.

Would you have made the same choice, if you would of had to serve in a "closed" prison?

Yes. I feel like choosing otherwise would be lying to myself: total objection is the only way to complete my duty without supporting a discriminating system.

Do you resent that women are not conscripted? Do female Finns support male-only conscription in your experience? Why weren't you sentenced to home detention? I thought that was the current standard punishment for refusing conscription.

I don't think gender should be a factor in deciding who has to serve and who hasn't. In my experience, many females agree that our current system needs change, but this is likely biased due to my school environment being very liberal.

As for home detention, I was offered the chance but rejected it. From what I've heard, the ridiculously strict schedules and the fact that you are a prisoner in your own home mess with heads pretty bad. A common opinion is that "monitored sentence turns a home into a housing unit"; some have even had to move to a new place after their home has started to evoke negative memories from the sentence even after it has ended. I wanted to keep my sentence away from my real life, so I chose to go to prison instead - I would have had a ankle band either way. Some of the prisoners I have met have said that house arrest is actually more mentally taxing than prison, so I feel that I made the right choice.