Japanese Prisons Preparing for Imprisonment Penalty Reform
Tokyo, May 2 (Jiji Press)--Japan is preparing to make available 24 new correctional courses at prisons and other facilities ahead of the June 1 reform of imprisonment penalties.
The revised Penal Code, which takes effect that day, will make imprisonment fully without penal work. The current system obliges some offenders to engage in such work depending on the sentence.
Marking the first significant change in criminal punishment since the Penal Code was established in 1907, Japan will shift the main objective of imprisonment from punishment to preventing repeat offenses. It aims to take more account of the individual characteristics of inmates.
"We can expect greater rehabilitation effects," Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki told a press conference April 25, adding that the Justice Ministry is working to raise the awareness of facility staff to ensure a smooth transition.
An annual government paper on crime says that of the 183,269 people arrested or subjected to other enforcement actions in 2023, 86,099, or 47 pct, were repeat offenders. The rate remained high after hitting a record 49.1 pct in 2020.
(2025/05/02-18:48)
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