She was appointed as Minister of Justice by caretaker prime minister Keijo Liinamaa on 13 June 1975, and held the position until 30 November 1975, when a new coalition government was formed.[1] She was the first female Minister of Justice in Finland, and led discussions to reform conditional sentences, drunk driving, and parole during her six-month tenure.[2] She also worked to repeal a law that prevented women from serving in certain government roles.[2]: 304 During this year, Anttila was also elected as chair of the United Nations' World Criminal Justice Conference.[2] In the early 1980s, she was the first director of the UN's European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI), which was based in Finland.[3]: 304