Two of the law reforms carried through in 1967 can be said to be of general interest:

A law which came into force on January 1st strengthened the principle of opportunism in Finnish criminal law which by tradition has always been extremely legalistic. The new law allow public prosecutors to waive prosecution, when the criminal act is « insignificant », and was caused by negligence or thoughtlessness which under the circumstances may be considered excusable, unless the public interest demands that the criminal be prosecuted. The courts were given similar powers to dismiss a criminal case. Earlier such discretionary powers could only be used in certain cases of juvenile delinquency. A survey on how the new rules have been applicated is to be conducted.