White paper on crime 2012 Part3/Chapter2/Section5/3
Juvenile probationers, in principle, are placed under probation until they reach 20 years of age. However, if juveniles are deemed definitely capable of reforming/rehabilitating themselves without probation, it can be terminated by a decision of discharge by the directors of probation offices. In addition, the directors of probation offices can also make a decision to grant a temporary discharge in which the progress of juveniles is watched over without any instruction, supervision, guidance, and assistance, etc. during a specific period of time. Juvenile training school parolees are placed under parole supervision until the term of their confinement (the term they would have been confined for) is complete. However, if juveniles are deemed definitely capable of reforming/rehabilitating themselves without parole supervision it can be terminated upon the decision to discharge them early by a Regional Parole Board, which is based on a recommendation made by the directors of the probation offices. 12,387 juvenile probationers were granted discharge, 37 a temporary discharge, and 773 juvenile training school parolees had their parole supervision terminated by the decision of discharge in 2011 (Source: Annual Report of Statistics on Rehabilitation).
The directors of probation offices can issue warning to a juvenile probationer if he/she has failed to comply with the conditions for probation. If he/she has still failed to comply with the conditions even after the warning and the degree of failure is serious, the directors can apply for the decision of a family court to commit him/her to a children’s self-reliance support facility/foster home or to a juvenile training school as new protective measures (request for commitment to a facility). In addition, the directors of probation offices can notify a family court of the fact that a juvenile probationer has been deemed to have committed a new pre-delinquency. In 2011, warnings were issued in 172 cases, applications for the decision of commitment to a facility were made for 16 persons, and notifications to a family court were made for 22 persons (Source: The Rehabilitation Bureau, Ministry of Justice and Annual Report of Statistics on Rehabilitation).
A family court can decide to return a juvenile training school parolee back to a juvenile training school (recommitment) in response to an application made by a Regional Parole Board based on a proposal from the director of probation office if he/she has failed to comply with the conditions for parole supervision. 14 juveniles were recommitted to juvenile training schools in 2011 (Source: Annual Report of Statistics on Rehabilitation).