Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the Japanese correctional system places a strong emphasis on rehabilitation and preparing the prisoner for being released once again into society. The paper outlines the procedure called Jidan and shows how the punishment of the offender is not stressed, rather forgiveness is stressed on the part of victim and Japanese society in general. The paper then looks at criticisms of the Japanese system and asserts that rather than calling the system 'better' or more 'humane,' a more accurate characterization might be that it allows for less individualized responses to crime, and is less interested in protecting the rights and interests of the accused or the victim.

From the Paper:

"The Japanese correctional system places a strong emphasis on rehabilitation and preparing the prisoner for being released once again into society. The Japanese correctional system "is intended to resocialize, reform, and rehabilitate offenders" rather than enforce a system of retributive justice along the lines of the American model (Coutsoukis, 2004). This is why most sociologists state that the restorative philosophy of corrections is the predominant approach practiced in Japan, that is, the main aim of the system is to restore the pre-existing social order rather than enact retribution against a particular individual, or even to protect victim's rights, or to punish an offender in a fair manner (Hosoi & Nishimura 1999: 4)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Debito, Arudou & Dave Aldwinckle. (2002). "Arrest and Detention Periods of Criminal Suspects Under Japanese Lawhttp://www.debito.org/arrestperiods.html
• Coutsoukis, Photius. (10 Nov 2004). "Japan: The Penal System." CIA World Factbook.Retrieved 11 Feb 2008 at http://www.photius.com/countries/japan/national_security/japan_national_security_the_penal_system.html
• Hosoi, Yoko & Haruo Nishimura. (1999). "The Role of Apology in the Japanese Criminal Justice System." Paper presented at the Restoration for Victims of Crime Conference. Australian Institute of Criminology Retrieved 11 Feb 2008 at http://www.aic.gov.au/conferences/rvc/hosoi.pdf

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