White paper on crime 2010 Part4/Chapter2/Section5/3
Juvenile probationers, in principle, are placed under probation until they reach 20 years of age. However, if juveniles are deemed definitely capable of reforming/rehabilitating themselves without probation, it ends when the decision to discharge them early is made by the directors of probation offices. In addition, the directors of probation offices may also decide to grant a temporary discharge in which the progress of juveniles is observed without being provided with guidance, supervision, and rehabilitation support, etc. for a certain period. Juvenile training school parolees are placed under parole supervision until the term of their confinement (the term they would have been confined for) is complete. However, if juveniles are deemed definitely capable of reforming/rehabilitating themselves without parole supervision it ends when the decision to discharge them early is made by a Regional Parole Board based on a recommendation from the directors of probation offices. 12,769 juveniles were granted an early discharge, 55 a temporary discharge, and 812 discharged from juvenile training schools in 2009 (Source: Annual Report of Statistics on Rehabilitation).
The directors of probation offices can issue warnings to juvenile probationers if they violate the conditions for probation. If the juveniles repeatedly and seriously violate the conditions for probation, the directors can request family courts to make a decision of committing them to a support facility for development of self-sustaining capacity/children's home or committing them to a juvenile training school as a new protective measure (requests for commitment to facilities). In addition, the directors of probation offices can notify a family court of the fact that a juvenile probationer is deemed to have committed a new pre-delinquency. In 2009, 158 juveniles were warned, eight requested to be committed to a facility, and 23 notified (Source: The Rehabilitation Bureau, Ministry of Justice and Annual Report of Statistics on Rehabilitation).
Family courts can decide to return juvenile training school parolees back to juvenile training schools (recommitment) in response to applications made by Regional Parole Boards that are based on proposals from the directors of probation offices if they have violated the conditions for parole supervision. In 2009, 25 juveniles were recommitted to juvenile training schools (Source: Annual Report of Statistics on Rehabilitation).