Prisoner rehab program documentary shows Japan there is another way

Bad life choices, people need a role model someone who shows then there is a choice. Walking the dog and met a recently released con, he was tying a rope on a bridge he was going to kill himself. I talked to him took him to my home gave him foods and a shower. Just listened my wife mostly (I couldn't understand his accent) to his story. He now has a job. Not dead. A little time to listen can change a life. You only limit yourself. Sometimes someone else can show you life is not what you have but what you can do.

The Japanese prison authorities would do well to examine the Dutch success:

Of course they would, but you know the Japanese knee-jerk reaction to advice from foreign countries: Rejection and claim that somehow Japanese people are special and outsiders can’t fully understand them.

FINALLY, a rehabilitation program that helps with the roots of the mental health issues these inmates have!

Sadly they had to commit a crime(s) to get the help they needed!

The Japanese prison authorities would do well to examine the Dutch success:

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37904263

This is great. Will it have any impact on the average Japanese person?

Some westerners that had the dubious honour of becoming inmates in the Japanese prisons do certify the strictness and program rigidness helped them discipline their thoughts and get back on track.

An interesting post. Where could I read these comments from westerners lauding the rigidity of the Japanese prison system?

I'm a human, he was a human I expect but am constantly let down by dogma and stupid political ideology. It's scarry to help people, could go wrong big time but also could be one of the most rewarding actions you take. Thank you @concerned citizen I've had such negative response from people who do nothing. I did something! How is it negative I don't know.

@Cricky

Walking the dog and met a recently released con, he was tying a rope on a bridge he was going to kill himself. I talked to him took him to my home gave him foods and a shower. Just listened my wife mostly (I couldn't understand his accent) to his story. He now has a job

Well done.

Lots of people in prison are mentally ill, sometimes just learning difficulties that would be treatable in a better environment.

I think you can have rehabilitation without involving the victims. There will often be much deeper causes for crime than a lack of empathy for the victims.

Cricky: Thank you for what you did. I completely agree with your philosophy that we are all human.

Germany and Holland have an excellent system in this field.

Criminals are people that do mistakes,and the duty of a civilized society is to bring back their children not just to make them suffer.

I hope Japan will do more in such ways,anyway this is a little step forward.

ebisenToday 08:31 am JST

There are some excellent documentaries on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/FLeM1BH1fNA

Thanks for that, very interesting. Japanese recidivism isn't the lowest in the modern world though, and has been increasing in recent years. In 2009 it was nearly 40% and in 2018 it was 48.7% for the elderly.

I disagree with any comments describing the Japanese system as "inhumane, unfair, etc". They're extremely strict, and probably anyone that can't follow such simple rules is going to get badly burned, but that's not inhumane.

In my opinion it is totally inhumane in that it isolates. This has a serious effect on mental health (which might explain Japans high reoffending rate).

It is unfair, racist, and violates human rights. (Incidentally stress positions are classed as torture).

Some westerners that had the dubious honour of becoming inmates in the Japanese prisons do certify the strictness and program rigidness helped them discipline their thoughts and get back on track. The best performance index is the recidive rate, and there the Japanese prison system excels, it is the lowest in the modem world.

There are some excellent documentaries on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/FLeM1BH1fNA

Norway, (and Denmark and Sweden) have really low reoffending rates due to their approach. Prisoners can even go home sometimes and see what they're missing out on. It's good to see a different approach being tried. Thanks for the YT link ebisen, I'll defo watch that. Now, back to working on my radio documentary course...It's gonna take me ages!

This would explain why there are so many ex-cons reoffending in Japan. They are not rehabilitated. They are just punished and let go.

Actually, in my native country, prisoners were once isolated, and the authorities soon realised that this was not rehabilitating the offender, in fact it was creating a reoffender. That was 200 years ago.

Just send them to a prison island. Seemed to make a great country in the past (Australia)

There will often be much deeper causes for crime than a lack of empathy for the victims.

Generally speaking it stems from broken home situations.

Nice. The death penalty needs to be abolished in Japan.

This would explain why there are so many ex-cons reoffending in Japan. They are not rehabilitated. They are just punished and let go.

It has taken Japan a long time to address it's 63% reoffending rate. Better late than never, I suppose.

It's good we're embracing this forgiveness and reintegration...for the most part. It will be many more years before people forgive everything and ex-convicts can be taken off the sx registry. They've done their time...just like everyone else.

I disagree with any comments describing the Japanese system as "inhumane, unfair, etc". They're extremely strict, and probably anyone that can't follow such simple rules is going to get badly burned, but that's not inhumane.

For me a prison where guards have to be armed and ready to kill you at any time is inhumane. In Japan, the prison guards are not armed.

That’s great. Now read this is the same column as the article you’re reading:

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/67-year-old-man-fatally-beaten-after-calling-police-to-report-intruder-in-house