First Prison in Japan to House Only Young Inmates with Developmental and Other Disabilities Opens

From NHK

October 30 2023

Ichihara City, CHIBA – The first prison in the country to house only young inmates with physical disabilities or intellectual disabilities, with an emphasis on supporting their reintegration into society, was established in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture.

The ‘Ichihara Youth Correctional Center’ is a newly established facility that was a juvenile detention center until April of this year.

A ceremony was held on October 30th, ahead of the start of detention from next month, and Vice Minister of Justice Kakizawa greeted the inmates by saying, “I hope that the center will work together to improve and rehabilitate these young inmates.’’

Inmates with disabilities sometimes struggle to get jobs after being released from prison without being connected to welfare services, so this facility focuses not only on prison work but also on supporting their reintegration into society.

With a capacity of 72 inmates, the smallest among all prisons in Japan, each is given a private room and free access to the room to create an environment as close to society as possible.

In addition, programs from juvenile training schools, where correction is tailored to the individual’s disabilities and characteristics, are also applied to boost correction, as well as specialized staff with qualifications such as social workers.

Naoyuki Goda, director of the Ichihara Youth Correctional Center, said, “Although we will treat inmates fairly, we will continue to work on corrections, recognizing that it is in the interest of society as a whole that they do not re-offend after being released.”

Corrective education tailored to individual disabilities and characteristics, such as developmental disabilities and intellectual disabilities, has until now been provided only in juvenile training schools.

However, in recent years, it has been pointed out that prisons need to provide better treatment for young inmates with these disabilities and characteristics, which led to the opening of the Ichihara Youth Correctional Center.

The center utilizes the know-how and facilities of correctional education at juvenile training schools to provide guidance to help children acquire the lifestyle habits and interpersonal relationships necessary for social life.