Legal Register Centre turns 50: from IT committee to expert in digital administration of justice
The Legal Register Centre (LRC) develops, produces and procures solutions for creating a streamlined procedure for the digital administration of justice. The agency celebrates its 50th birthday in 2024. The LRC’s office has always been located in Hämeenlinna, but its operations have nationwide and international impact.
The Legal Register Centre (LRC) is an expert agency that develops the operations and productivity of the Ministry of Justice’s administrative branch with ICT services. In addition, the LRC has national responsibility for the enforcement of pecuniary penalties, as well as for the maintenance and data management of the judicial administration’s key registers.
The agency saw the light of day in March 1974 with the establishment of the judicial administration’s information system development unit. The unit grew from the IT committee set up by the Ministry of Justice a few years earlier, which had estimated that 20 designers would be needed for the specification, design and implementation of the systems.
Today, the Legal Register Centre employs over 220 experts, and its operations are based on the Act on the Legal Register CentreAvautuu uuteen välilehteen.
The LRC still has its office in Hämeenlinna, but has employees around Finland. Its staff works with customers, partners and each other both in person and remotely.
Strategic digital development of the judicial administration
The tasks, responsibilities and expectations assigned to the LRC have grown over the years alongside the agency’s everyday work of information system development, register keeping and fine enforcement. The LRC has an increasingly important role in increasing the utilisation of digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence in the Ministry of Justice’s administrative branch.
Our customers’ needs and ideas put into production according to the IT project model, for example with service design methods. We completed 13 ICT projects in 2023 and this year’s target is to finish 20 projects for our customers. At the same time, the LRC is developing and maintaining more than a hundred digital services and information systems in the administrative branch.
We produce solutions for everything from register management and Election Information System development to citizens’ e-service and public officials’ digital work environment. In just one week, for example, we completed the agile low-code development of a child maintenance calculator to help authorities in their public duties and made a breakthrough in the development of a video recording solution for the long-term improvement of the trial procedure.
According to Director General Jussi Kivinen, digital interoperability and cost-efficiency are also developed as a whole in the Ministry of Justice’s administrative branch, for example by building a joint production foundation and information architecture.
”The LRC generates the most productivity through its digital development that renews the administrative branch and improves efficiency within it. In the 2020s, we have made major investments in our ability to find the best development projects together with our customers and implement them faster than ever before. Centralising the enforcement of fines and other pecuniary penalties with the LRC also improves the overall efficiency of State administration”, Kivinen says.
Support for elections and international exchanges of information
The Legal Register Centre’s operations include exchanges of information, register keeping and the enforcement of pecuniary penalties in addition to digital development.
Citizens may have dealt with the LRC by ordering an extract from the criminal records or in connection with the agency’s enforcement of pecuniary penalties, such as the collection of fines and other penalties. At the annual level, for example, over 500,000 receivables are referred to the LRC for collection, and the agency’s enforcement activities generate roughly 100 million euros for the State.
Anyone who has voted has also come into contact with the LRC’s work through the Election Information System, citizens’ election information service, and polling station support.
The LRC’s Branch Director of Information Services, Teemu Mikkola, emphasises that the Legal Register Centre plays a significant role in safeguarding the rights of crime victims. Injured parties can petition the LRC for compensation if the proceeds of crime have been declared forfeit to the State and successfully collected from the party sentenced to forfeiture.
On the international level, the LRC’s influence is increasing especially in enforcement and improving security.
“As the controller of key personal data files in its administrative branch, the LRC is already an essential player in exchanges of information within the EU. Pan-European processes and information systems for the administration of justice consolidate our position even further. If it is realised, the EU-level exchange of information on prohibitions to pursue a business will also increase international financial security”, Mikkola says.
Safeguarding basic rights and democracy, responding to customer needs, and proactive ICT development are part of the DNA of the 50-year-old LRC. These also attract talent in the tough competition for potential employees.
The Legal Register Centre does meaningful work that impacts society across the board, from the ballot boxes to prison cells.
“I want to thank our customers, personnel and partners for our shared journey! We are looking forward to continuing our fruitful cooperation and effective partnership with you”, says Jussi Kivinen with a smile.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the LRC invited stakeholders to its office in Hämeenlinna for networking and presentations on the LRC’s operations. In-house, LRC will celebrate with a staff dinner.
