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 White paper on crime 2000 Part5/Chap.2/Sec.2/1 

Section 2 Treatment of Offenders and Victims

1 Victims and corrective treatment

(1)Inmates
  The treatment of inmates in prisons primarily aims at their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. In this connection, inmates are individually advised to make efforts to improve their relationship with the victims of their crimes. Some prisons form groups of inmates convicted for offenses resulting in death or bodily injury, such as homicide and professional negligence, to provide guidance for the development of their sense of apology to the victims, their friends and relatives, as well as their sense of expiation. The goal of such guidance lies in raising awareness of the gravity of the offenses they have committed and in encouraging a sense of remorse. Concrete activities include group discussion on the need to apologize and what they can do for the victims, as well as screening of videotapes concerning the families of victims killed. On the wishes of inmates, some prisons provide opportunities for memorial services, etc. , on the anniversary of the victim's death.
  Remuneration is paid to inmates who have worked in prisons. Such remuneration may be paid even during the period of imprisonment if compensation has to be paid to victims. Remuneration and retained monies are transferred to the victims, if the latter agree to receive such transfer. Arrangements are also made for inmates who wish to send letters of apology.
(2)Trainees detained in juvenile training schools
  Juvenile training schools provide various types of education focused on improving the individual problems of trainees. In particular, guidance on problems of awareness, attitude and behavior related to delinquency is considered as a major part of living guidance and is conducted within the framework of guidance on problematic behavior. The guidance includes composition assignments on subjects such as the delinquency that the trainees have committed, newspaper articles on bullying in school and crime victims, and compositions written by children orphaned by traffic accidents, as well as interviews, group discussion and role-playing letters. Introspective guidance and reading guidance are also included in the program.
  An additional training course was created in September1997for those juveniles who need special treatment for correction and rehabilitation in light of the complexity and seriousness of the problems that led to their grave delinquency. The curriculum for the training course incorporates training activities to nurture respect for life and develop a fuller sense of humanity, such as education to cultivate aesthetic sensitivity, domestic animal breeding, and the cultivation of flowers. The curriculum also emphasizes strict guidance to encourage a sense of remorse based on recognition of the gravity of delinquency, as well as to nurture a sense of apology toward victims, their friends and relatives(see Part 3, Subsection 2-4-1 ).