5 Support for victims at correction and rehabilitation stages

Victims, etc. are informed of the status of treatment of inmates, etc. upon request if it is deemed appropriate (notification system for victims, etc.). A public prosecutor notifies victims, etc. of the scheduled completion date of the term of the sentence, status of treatment at penal institutions, release of inmates, and revocation of suspension of execution of the sentence, etc., informed by penal institutions, etc. In 2011 a total of 10,378 notifications were made on the scheduled completion date of the term of the sentence (including notifications to witnesses, etc.), 12,579 on the status of treatment at penal institutions, 2,272 on the release of inmates (including notifications to witnesses, etc.), and 83 on the revocation of suspension of execution of the sentence (Source: The Criminal Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Justice).

In order to enable the victims, etc. to take measures, such as changing residence, etc., to avoid further damage, a system in which a public prosecutor informs victims, etc. of the scheduled release date of inmates and their planned residence, etc. after release upon a concrete request from victims, etc. when they deemed it appropriate, has also been implemented. In 2011, 395 victims, etc. received such notifications (including notifications to witnesses, etc.) (Source: The Criminal Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Justice).

Rehabilitation services now include, [1] a system in which victims, etc. are notified of matters regarding the commencement/decisions of their parole examinations by Regional Parole Boards and matters regarding the commencement/status/termination of their probation/parole supervision by probation offices (notification system for victims, etc.), [2] an opinion hearing system in which Regional Parole Boards listen to the opinions, etc. of victims, etc. in the process of the parole examinations of inmates from penal institutions or juvenile training schools, [3] a victims’ feelings informing system in which probation offices listen to the feelings etc. of victims, etc. and then inform the probationers/parolees of them, and [4] a system in which probation offices take the main part in counseling victims, etc. and introduce them to relevant agencies, etc. In 2011 a total of 3,092 cases of [1] regarding parole examinations and 4,070 cases regarding probation/parole supervision, 273 cases of [2], 112 cases of [3], and 1,342 cases of [4] were implemented (Source: The Rehabilitation Bureau, Ministry of Justice).