NCJ Number
133835
Date Published
1991
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Prisons in Japan are managed according to the military model; although reform legislation has been introduced, it will probably not be passed soon.
Abstract
The prison system was established in the late 19th century on the Prussian model. Despite some reforms in the 1920's and the early 1980's, the main goal remains to administer the system as smoothly as possible. Thus, people are administered as though they are objects. Activities take place in the form of military exercises, all forms of contact are based on the concepts of command and obedience, and prisoners have no rights. The country has low rates of crime and imprisonment, with 74 adult correctional institutions, a total capacity of 65,000, and an average daily prison population of about 55,000. Japan has the fourth lowest rate of imprisonment in the world. Institutions for juvenile offenders include detention facilities and facilities for convicted offenders. Police custody is widely used as part of police investigations. This detention system has recently been a source of international concern, through the United Nations Human Rights Commission, because suspects placed in police custody are unable to contact relatives or friends. Footnotes and 11 references