White paper on crime 2011 Part7
Prevention of reoffending has long been an important issue in criminal policy. The Japanese Government has currently prioritized on enhancing preventive measures against reoffending to ensure the safety and security of people’s lives. The particular importance of the appropriate treatment of juvenile/young offenders for that purpose has repeatedly been pointed out in previous editions of the White Paper on Crime in recent years. For example, an article entitled “The Circumstances and Attributes of Repeat Offenders and Countermeasures against Recidivism,” which was a feature of the 2007 edition of the White Paper on Crime, revealed quantitative issues concerning repeat offenses by juvenile/young offenders. It pointed out that the high percentage of approximately 40% of repeat offenders had their first previous conviction during the first half of their 20s and approximately 60% during their 20s, approximately 40% of those with a first previous conviction in the first half of their 20s and approximately 28% of those with a first previous conviction in the second half of their 20s had then repeated offenses, the high percentage of new inmates aged 20-24 had juvenile protective measure histories, and the high percentage of approximately 60% of those with criminal disposition histories when they were juveniles repeated offenses. In addition, an article entitled the “Actual Situation and Treatment concerning Serious Offenders” in the 2010 edition of the White Paper on Crime revealed qualitative issues concerning repeat offenses by juvenile/young offenders. It pointed out the high repeat offense rate of serious offenders, including those who committed homicide, etc. who had juvenile protective measure histories or their first previous conviction in the first half of their 20s and that the high percentage of serious offenders with previous convictions had their first previous conviction in the first half of their 20s, and the large number of them subsequently repeated offenses.
Countermeasures against reoffending are also considered particularly significant from the point of view that the reintegration of offenders as sound members into society can benefit the whole of society. In consideration that juveniles and young people will have to take the actual lead in our future society, rehabilitating juveniles/young people who committed delinquencies/offenses and reintegrating them back as sound members into society, in particular, can revitalize Japan and contribute to the welfare of all the people. Effective countermeasures against reoffending for juvenile/young offenders are thus considered important not only in reducing actual offenses and maintaining public security but also in promoting the welfare of the people.
Juvenile delinquents receive correctional education in juvenile training schools and other guidance through protective measures and are provided with assistance for their rehabilitation, and many of them do actually rehabilitate themselves. Some of them, however, cannot rehabilitate themselves, even though provided with the abovementioned guidance and assistance, and become young offenders. Providing them with treatment that effectively prevents repeat offenses at the stage of transition from adolescence to adulthood is thus extremely important in thereby correcting their criminal tendencies. This edition of the White Paper on Crime therefore features an article entitled “Picture of Juvenile and Young Offenders and Preventive Measure against their Reoffending” that analyzes the offenses juveniles and young people (refers to those aged 20-29; hereinafter the same) committed, identifies and analyzes risk and protective factors against their repeat offenses, targeting to provide basic data useful for drafting effective treatment of juvenile/young offenders to reduce reoffending.
This part is structured as follows.
Chapter 1 introduces the current general status of juveniles/young people to deepen the understanding of the actual situation with juvenile delinquents/young offenders.
Chapter 2 analyzes the current circumstances, characteristics, and quantitative/qualitative changes of juvenile delinquents and young offenders, the current status with their treatment, and the actual status of their repeat delinquencies/offenses, etc. based on various official statistical data.
Chapter 3 conducts a follow-up study on persons discharged from juvenile training schools with regard to whether they received criminal punishment before reaching age 25 or not. The study compares those who received criminal punishment and those who did not, and analyzes risk and protective factors. The study also focuses on the characteristics, etc. of those who received criminal punishment and identifies problematic points with linkage to reoffending after being discharged from juvenile training schools.
Chapter 4 conducts a survey of the attitudes of juveniles newly admitted to juvenile classification homes and young inmates in penal institutions and analyzes their problems by comparing juvenile delinquents and young offenders and through a comparison with a previous similar survey and other general youths, etc. This featured article aims to reveal the risk factors in offenses and rehabilitation requirements, etc. through two complementary surveys, namely an external and objective analysis of factors that lead to offenses (Chapter 3) and subjective analysis of the attitudes of juvenile delinquents and young offenders (Chapter 4).
Chapter 5 presents some cases of juvenile/young offenders that received protective measures or criminal dispositions but whose problems were considered to be corrected through effective treatment, guidance, and assistance and analyzes important points in rehabilitation, and also introduces treatment/efforts to prevent repeat offenses.
The analysis made in the aforementioned chapters is then used in Chapter 6 to summarize the actual situation with juvenile/young offenders and the issues and the prospects in further improving available treatment.