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Voluntary probation officers help offenders reintegrate into society after they have completed their sentences.

Voluntary probation officer Mieko Yano counsels a young offender participant. “As a probation officer, the most important thing is the obligation to keep in confidence everything you find out about a probation program participant. Because there is this obligation to maintain confidentiality, participants feel free to talk to you and a relationship of trust develops,” she says.

Japan has long enjoyed a reputation as a safe country, yet recently violent crimes seem to be making the headlines day after day. In order to protect people from violent crime and build a society in which people can live with peace of mind, it is not enough to simply crack down on crime and punish offenders.

People who have committed a crime need help to ensure they don't repeat their mistakes, and efforts are also needed to anticipate and prevent crime. The Program for Care of Discharged Offenders is designed to address these issues.

Japan's approach to caring for former offenders incorporates the cooperation of civil servants and private citizens to help former offenders get back on their feet.

People who have been sentenced for an offence return to live in their communities once they have completed their sentence. Care of discharged offenders can only be effective when carried out with an understanding of the community the offender (known as the "offender participant" under the Program for Care of Discharged Offenders) will return to.

"This understanding is crucial, and voluntary probation officers, who are in close contact with the local community, play a central role," explains Noriko Ota of the Ministry of Justice's Rehabilitation Bureau.

"A voluntary probation officer is a private citizen acting on a voluntary basis, commissioned by the Minister of Justice. Although voluntary probation officers are often seen as part-time civil servants, in reality they receive no salary.

They work hard, day and night, for the benefit of former criminals and delinquents. helping them reintegrate into society. These people have a tremendous volunteer spirit.

There are similar programs for care of discharged offenders in the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and a few other countries, but they are not yet widespread. Japan's program is unusual in that it is based on cooperation between the government and private citizens, with both parties acting in tandem."

Broadly speaking, the activities of a voluntary probation officer can be grouped into three categories. First, there are activities central to the process of probation.

Voluntary probation officers work in conjunction with the probation offices administered by the Ministry of Justice at 50 locations around Japan. They provide guidance to offender participants seeking to follow through on commitments they have made to help them reintegrate into society.

Voluntary probation officers help offender participants get back on their feet by providing advice on daily living and helping them find work. The second category of activities covers the coordination of the environment to which offender participants will return.

Voluntary probation officers work to enable smooth reintegration into society of persons released from prison or a juvenile detention facility by inspecting post-release living quarters and meeting with guarantors. The third category includes activities related to crime prevention.

In working to enlighten public opinion and clean up local communities, the annual Movement for Brighter Society campaign carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice plays a central role in anticipating and preventing possible criminal activity or delinquent behaviour.

It is very easy to sum up all these activities neatly into words, but actually reintegrating offenders into society and getting them back onto their feet both economically and psychologically is not such a simple task.

Mieko Yano, a 59-year-old resident of Taito Ward in Tokyo and a voluntary probation officer with 18 years of experience, shares the challenges she has found in the work: "The offender participants are all ages, from their teens to 60 and older. But I've found it especially difficult dealing with offending juveniles.

When working with someone of junior high school or high school age, I have to take into consideration what their home life is like. Kids who have been spoiled at home need a strict hand, but I make a special effort to be extra gentle with those who have constantly been yelled at or preached to at home.

However, whatever the individual situation, parental cooperation is absolutely essential. Most importantly, I can only help a young person get back on the right track once we manage to build a relationship of trust.

"The most prevalent crime committed by the young people with whom I've worked has been the use of stimulant drugs. The rate of repeat offenses is really high with this kind of offence. It breaks my heart when a young person ends up committing the same drugs offence after I've tried my best to convince them not to use drugs."

Yano says that while she has certainly experienced many challenging cases during her years as a voluntary probation officer, she has also enjoyed numerous times when she felt truly happy for having chosen to take on this work.

"Many of the people I've had the opportunity to work with, particularly the young people, have gone out and found jobs. They have grown into contributing members of society. It gives me real pleasure when I see a former offender participant marry, have children, and be able to take those children to kindergarten."

The 49,000 voluntary probation officers continue their daily work of helping others, their trials unknown to most. Their contribution toward building communities free from crime and delinquency cannot be overstated.

In 2003, the number of juveniles (aged 14 through 19) arrested for violations of the criminal code in Japan rose for the third year in a row. Approximately 40% of the total number of people arrested for violations were juveniles, and approximately 70% of people arrested for purse-snatching and theft from vehicles - street crimes that have been rising in recent years - were juveniles.

The National Police Agency (NPA) sees measures aimed at solving the problem of juvenile delinquency as the key to restoring public safety in Japan. In August last year, the NPA established the Emergency Safety Measures Program to strengthen the country's ability to tackle the worsening level of juvenile crime, targeting juvenile gangs in particular.

Around the country, police forces have been devoting more resources to fighting juvenile crime. One such force is the Fukuoka Prefectural Police, in the northeast of the island of Kyshu.

The Tenjin district in the prefectural capital of Fukuoka City is the busiest shopping area in Kyshu. At night, the neon lights from all the department stores, cinemas, restaurants, and shops in this district are bright and colourful - there are many alluring attractions for young people.

Ritsuko Kaneda, a youth counsellor from the Youth Support Center of Fukuoka Prefectural Police, patrols the area as part of her monthly schedule of guidance at street level for young people.

Approaching a pair of female high school students with school uniform skirts cut very short, she asks them, "What school do you go to?" She talks to other youths that she finds engaged in delinquent behaviour such as smoking, drinking or loitering. If youths display ill will, it is her job to contact families or schools.

"The purpose of our guidance is to catch signs from kids that they are heading toward delinquency," explains Kaneda.

"It's important for adults to convey the message that smoking and alcohol are not in their best interests, and we do it in a non-confrontational way. We do our best to communicate with them."

The Youth Support Center also conducts consultations, public relations, and educational activities for the community concerning youth issues. Some of the youths that counselors like Kaneda meet on the street make repeated visits to the Center to receive guidance.

Last year, 12,134 juveniles were arrested or received guidance last year in Fukuoka Prefecture, the third highest number for a region after Tokyo and Osaka. The Prefecture ranks first, though, for the number of these juveniles involved in substance abuse such as inhaling organic solvents.

Mitsumasa Kondo, an officer in the Youth Section of Fukuoka Prefectural Police explains the dangers of solvent abuse. "Sniffing solvents causes the chest to contract, and the damage to young people is irreversible. Solvents are often supplied by criminal gangs, and are a source of funds for them. As well as discouraging youths from abusing solvents, we are also targeting the gangs that supply them".

Another problem which has been rising at an alarming rate across the country is child prostitution, which is often linked to Internet dating sites. Fukuoka Prefectural Police is trying to stamp out the problem by helping parents and elder siblings to install filtering software as a way to prevent access to these dating sites.

Many of the juveniles arrested or receiving guidance in Fukuoka Prefecture were first-time offenders. Their offenses were most often the sort of petty crime, such as shoplifting, car or motorcycle theft, that can lead on to more serious offences. Shoplifting, a particularly easy crime to commit, is the most common offenses - offenders often regard it as a sort of game, and the repeat rate is very high.

"In cases of shoplifting it is very important to impress upon these youths the seriousness of the offence to ensure they do not repeat it," says Kondo. "Early detection and early treatment is best."

The notion of early detection, early treatment is related to the crime prevention theory known as the "Broken Windows Theory." The idea is that if a broken window in a building is not fixed promptly, it gives the impression there is no manager - more windows are broken, and the building very soon falls into decay.

In the same way, if nothing is done about petty crime. it will lead to more serious crimes later on. In other words, getting tough on petty crime will help cut serious crime. The former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, adopted this theory, damping down on petty crimes such as stealing free rides on public transport or graffiti. As a result, the level of serious crime in the city fell dramatically.

Fukuoka Prefectural Police is adopting the same approach. By stopping juvenile crime at an early stage, they hope they are effectively nipping the buds of more serious crime later on. In the long run, their efforts will make Japan a safer place in which to live.

Courtesy - Asia Pacific Perspectives

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