Even before a Regional Parole Board receives an application for parole, preparatory investigations for parole aim at enhancement of parole examinations and the smoother return of offenders to society. For these investigations, probation officers from secretariats of Regional Parole Boards are sent to correctional institutions to interview inmates and identify problems for their return to society, as well as discuss necessary measures and other matters with the staff of correctional institutions. In 2001, such investigations were implemented for a total of 39,832 offenders (30,175 prisoners and 9,657 juvenile training school inmates), up by 1,899 from the previous year (Source: Rehabilitation Bureau, Ministry of Justice).
  To further enhance the preparatory investigation system for parole, probation officers from secretariats of Regional Parole Boards are stationed in penal institutions. This resident officer system is now implemented in 10 large-scale prisons.

  Those who are imprisoned in penal institutions for a long period of time generally receive harsh criticism from society due to heinous and serious offenses that they have committed. Most of them have problems in their predisposition, environment and other factors. For these reasons, in carrying out parole examinations for long-term sentenced prisoners who are to serve a sentence of 8 years or longer including those who are to serve life imprisonment, Regional Parole Boards carry out particularly careful investigations and examinations of the prisoner's mental and physical condition, sentiment of victims, and other related matters, and give special consideration to guidance and advice for the prisoner, environmental adjustment in the prospective place of next abode, and so forth.
  For these long-term sentenced prisoners, parole examinations are implemented with extreme care. Probation officers from secretariats of Regional Parole Boards start investigation as soon as possible and implement it at regular intervals, and chief examiners conduct repeated interviews and more than 1 examiner participate in an interview (For details on probation for long-term sentenced parolees, see Section 3, 3 (3) of this Chapter ).