Section 2 Probation/Parole Supervision
Probation/parole supervision is provided for probationers/parolees to prevent them from repeating offenses and delinquencies and to facilitate their reformation/rehabilitation through a social life. Probation officers as well as volunteer probation officers (private volunteers commissioned by the Minister of Justice) maintain contact with them through interviews, etc. in order to observe their behavior and provide them with any needed instruction and supervision such as prompting them to follow the conditions for probation/parole supervision. They also provide them with guidance and assistance for purposes such as securing residences and gaining employment so that they can live independently.
Probationers/parolees are obliged to follow the conditions for probation/parole supervision during the period of supervision (the supervision period). Violating the conditions can result in so called bad-conduct measures being used such as revocation of parole. The two types of conditions for probation/parole supervision are statutory general conditions applicable to all probationers/parolees and special conditions assigned to individual probationers/parolees on a case-by-case basis.
Probation/parole supervision usually takes place in cooperation by a probation officer and a volunteer probation officer for each individual probationer/parolee. When supervision of a probationer/parolee first commences, a probation officer formulates an individual treatment plan that outlines the objectives and methods, etc. of the guidance, supervision, and rehabilitation support, based on an interview with the probationer/parolee and their relevant records. The volunteer probation officer provides guidance and assistance in accordance with the treatment plan by contacting the probationer/parolee and his or her family through interviews and visits, etc. The progress of the treatment is reported by the volunteer probation officer to the director of the probation office every month. The probation officer, in cooperation with the volunteer probation officer, then takes appropriate measures to adjust to changes in situation by interviewing the probationer/parolee or related persons as required. Meanwhile probation officers provide sufficient guidance and advice to volunteer probation officers and maintain close communication with them to ensure they are not bearing too heavy a load.
This section describes the conditions surrounding supervision of parolees and probationers.
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