What is the "Rehabilitation of Offenders"?

This is a system designed to give directions and guidance, and assistance for rehabilitation to offenders and delinquents to prevent re-offending so that they can lead a normal social life as a healthy member of society.

Regional Parole Boards

The regional parole boards are located in the eight regions covering the whole country, corresponding to the jurisdictional areas of the high courts. The major functions of the board are decision making to release on parole inmates of prisons and juvenile training schools and revocation of parole decisions when parolees fail to observe the parole conditions.

Probation Offices

There are 50 probation offices throughout the country, which are located in the jurisdictional areas of the district courts. Their major functions are to conduct probationary supervision over the juveniles placed under such supervision by the decision of the family court, the persons released on parole from prisons or juvenile training schools and also the persons for whom execution of sentence has been suspended on condition of probation. The probation offices are also engaged in activities to promote community-based campaigns to prevent crime and delinquency.

Probation Officers

Probation officers are full-time government officials of the Ministry of Justice and they are assigned either to the Secretariat of the Regional Parole Board or to the Probation Office. Having professional knowledge of psychology, pedagogy or sociology, they engage in the work of rehabilitating those who have committed crimes or delinquency, giving them aid and guidance during their everyday life, in collaboration with volunteer probation officers, and they also take charge of the work relating to the prevention of crime and delinquency.

Rehabilitation Coordinator

Rehabilitation coordinators are full-time government officials of the Ministry of Justice, whose role, as a professional staff member for outpatient treatment at the probation office, was newly established in accordance with the Act on Medical Care and Treatment for Insane or Quasi-insane Persons Who Have Caused Serious Incidents. The rehabilitation coordinator is a qualified psychiatric social worker, public health nurse or other such qualified person. Having the necessary knowledge and experience to promote social rehabilitation of such patients, they are engaged in not only outpatient treatment but also coordination of community-based treatment for outpatients among the related agencies.

Volunteer Probation Officers

Volunteer probation officers are private citizens commissioned by the Minister of Justice with the work of rehabilitating offenders and there are about 50,000 all over the country.

As they are familiar with the environment and customs of their community, they are able to give effective guidance and aid in their community to those who have committed crimes and delinquency, together with probation officers and, in addition, they are engaged in activities to prevent crime and delinquency.

Volunteer probation officers have the status of part-time government officers, but they are not paid a salary, except for the expenses of their activities.

Identification Badge of Volunteer Probation Officers
 Identification badge of Volunteer Probation Officer designed by the late emeritus Professor Sagenji Yoshida of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
 The design is comprised of 18 petals of a chrysanthemum flower, 18 petals of a sunflower and the rising sun against a background of red. While the outline of the composition signifies the harmonious relationship between neighbors and society, the red background stands for a warm, sympathetic human heart.

Offenders Rehabilitation Facilities

Offenders Rehabilitation Facilities are operated by juridical persons for the offenders' rehabilitation services, which are approved by the Minister of Justice to run the services in order to facilitate the rehabilitation of offenders. There are 101 such facilities in the country. Of all the persons who have been placed under parole /probationary supervision or released from prisons, these houses accommodate those who have no proper place to live, give them living guidance and vocational training and help them to live independently at the earliest possible date.

Offenders rehabilitation facilities SOMUTARYO (Kagoshima)

Women's Association for Rehabilitation Aid

The Women's Association for Rehabilitation Aid is an organization composed of women volunteers who cooperate in the communities' activities for crime prevention and also for the rehabilitation of those who have committed crimes and delinquency, with a view to establishing a brighter society free from crime and delinquency. About 200,000 volunteers are members of these associations, and are not only involved in the activities of educating the public of the need to prevent crime and delinquency but visit halfway houses, prisons and juvenile training schools, giving material aids and encouraging inmates spiritually as well as assisting and cooperating with volunteer probation officers and BBS members in their activities. In recent years, they are also engaged in more extensive activities such as assisting parents in raising their children.

BBS Association

BBS stands for the "Big Brothers and Sisters Movement" organized by young volunteers who make friends with and give assistance to delinquents and pre-delinquents to help them attain sound growth, just as "friends" on an equal footing with them.

Being of about the same age as their older brothers or sisters, these young volunteers keep in touch with the juveniles in various environments, help them solve their problems and promote their sound growth. In addition, BBS members carry out activities for crime prevention to build a crime-free society. About 5,000 members are engaged in these activities.

Cooperating Employers

"Cooperating employers" are people who willingly and without prejudice offer employment to offenders, despite their past records and treat them in the same manner as other workers. These employers who provide stable jobs with full understanding of the feelings of offenders contribute a great deal to the promotion of the rehabilitation of offenders. There are about 6,000 such employers all over the country who cooperate in this field.

Percentage of probationers and parolees by type of treatment in 2006