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| Monday, 27 September 2004 |
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The fight against juvenile crime Today's juvenile delinquents may become tomorrow's hardened criminals. Getting tough on juvenile crime is the key to restoring public safety. 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 per cent of the total number of people of arrested for violations were juveniles, and approximately 70 per cent of people arrested for purse-snatching and theft from vehicles - streets 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 Kyushu. The Tenjin district in the prefectural capital of Fukuoka City is the busiest shopping area in Kyushu. 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. Risuko Kaneda, a youth counsellor from the Youth Support Centre 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 Centre also conducts consultations, public relations, and educational activities for the community concerning youth issues. Some of the youths that counsellors like Kaneda meet on the street make repeated visits to the Centre 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 offences were most often the sort of petty crime, such as shoplifting or car or motorcycle theft, that can lead on to more serious offences. Shoplifting, a particularly easy crime to commit, is the most common offense - 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 youth 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 ideas 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, clamping 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 bids 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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