7 Cooperation from outside volunteers

  Support and cooperation from volunteers outside, including volunteer visitors for inmates and prison chaplains, play an extraordinarily important role in the operations of penal institutions, in particular, for educational activities.
(1) Voluntary visits for inmates
  Voluntary visits for inmates refer to a system under which private volunteers provide sentenced inmates, etc. with guidance and advice based on their professional knowledge and experiences. Contents of guidance and advice are wide-ranging, including those on inmates' hobbies, culture, and skills, and those on their mental worries, families, jobs, and future life plans.
  As of December 31, 2007, there were 1,151 volunteer visitors, 440 of which specialized in education and literary arts, 120 in rehabilitation services, 83 in law (legal profession), 230 in religion, commerce and industry, and social welfare, and 278 in others. In 2007, a total of 14,862 voluntary visits were made, 8,358 of which were concerned with hobbies and culture, 2,965 with families and jobs, and 1,645 with mental worries (Source: The Correction Bureau, Ministry of Justice).
(2) Religious instructions
  Religious instructions are given, at the request of inmates, by prison chaplains (private religious volunteers). They include religious lectures, religious rites and reading of sutras, etc., and are aimed at supporting inmates indirectly for fulfilling the purpose of imprisonment by giving them spiritual relief and mental stability, while ensuring their religious freedom.
  As of December 31, 2007, there were 1,637 prison chaplains, and they gave religious services 9,204 times to groups and 8,377 times individually (Source: The Correction Bureau, Ministry of Justice).