In order to restore safe society where the general public can lead life in peace and maintain public safety, it is extremely important to prompt inmates to rehabilitate themselves at penal institutions and get reintegrated into society smoothly. In recent years, the general public has come to feel stronger anxiety toward heinous crimes committed by repeat offenders and requests the enhancement of their treatment for more strongly preventing repeat offenses. On May 24, 2006, the Act on Treatment of Sentenced Inmates was put into force, and it came to be deemed as legal obligation of sentenced inmates to receive rehabilitation guidance and academic guidance as well as to do their work. It is highly required to make further efforts to enhance treatment of sentenced inmates in the future.
  At the same time, penal institutions are now suffering from problems of overcrowding and an increase of inmates with difficulties in the course of treatment. These problems have increased burdens on officials in charge of treatment of sentenced inmates and have hindered the realization of appropriate treatment.
  Therefore, we will overview problems in operating penal institutions and outline the efforts that have been made to solve them and enhance treatment of sentenced inmates.