Prisons across the nation are undergoing changes in how they treat inmates and establish rules for their daily conduct. These changes are in response to legal reforms and incidents of violence against inmates. One significant change is the introduction of a new category of imprisonment called “kokinkei” next year, which focuses on rehabilitating inmates rather than punishing them. This new category will replace the current categories of imprisonment with labor and imprisonment without labor.
One example of these changes can be seen at Fuchu Prison in Tokyo, where a detention officer recently ordered inmates to march. However, instead of strict drill-like commands, the inmates walked at their own pace with uncoordinated movements. This change was implemented earlier this year, allowing more flexibility for individual needs.
The practice of marching inmates in groups to commands has its roots in Western military marches and was introduced during the Meiji era. It aimed to prevent escapes by making large numbers of inmates move together. However, as society’s emphasis on human rights grew, laws were revised to give more consideration to inmate rights.
In 2022, a revision to the Penal Code established the kokinkei category and emphasized rehabilitation over punishment for inmates. Additionally, incidents of violence against inmates led to a reexamination of how they were treated in prison.
As part of these reforms, the practice of marching inmates with drill-like commands was abolished on a trial basis in March 2022 and will be abolished in all detention facilities by the end of this fiscal year due to positive results from this change.
Other changes include discontinuing slang terms used by detention officers when referring to prisoners and adding an honorific “san” after all inmate surnames when addressing them.
Moving forward, there will continue to be a reevaluation of inmate treatment within prisons while maintaining order and discipline among groups. The challenge lies in finding a balance between implementing necessary changes for rehabilitation while ensuring that rules are not excessively relaxed leading to potential conflicts or escape attempts.
Experts emphasize that creating an environment similar to the real world is crucial for successful rehabilitation after release from prison while also considering factors such as personality and age when adjusting rules for individual cases.
