Prison in Japan [Archive] - Japan Forum

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ookamishi
Jul 9, 2005, 04:52
First, please forgive any bad spelling or grammar.
I recently read about Prisons in Japan. From what I read, the prisoners have no rights at all, and are treated badly even begfore convicted! Although I believe that people who commit crimes should be punnished, I still think that the innocent shouldn't suffer with the guilty. And humans should still be treated as humans, and shown mercy. ( but I am NOT against death penalties.)

For instance, when a person is arrested for a crime, they may be interrogated for many hours, even days, without food, water, or rest. there
have been many police brutality cases of kicking and hitting. This is to force a confession out of a person. After this, the person is held in a detention ward, and finally get to see a lawyer! Some people have been held in detention wards waiting trial for long times, there have been people who were there ten years before they were finally released! If convicted of the crime and sent to prison, it gets worse.
Your head is shaven, and you were this gray uniform. There are rules that the prisoners must abide by. They can't move or speak unless they are permitted to. in single cells, there is barelly enough room to put a tatami! There are multiple cell rooms, where the prisoners are allowed to converse, but quietly. They can't exercise or even stretch unless permitted to. they take baths two times a week in the winter, and three times in the summer. they get three meals a day, breakfast and supper served in their cell. if they work, they eat lunch at a seperate room. They are allowed to work at factories.
For dissobediance, even for the slightest things, like looking at someones eyes, ( which is strickly forbidden!) they can be put in solitary confinement, sometimes they are bound up in a straight jackt like position, and not even permitted to move to go to the bathroom.
The conditions of the cells are pretty dirty and unsanitary. the guards often beat the prisoners. if anyone tries to bring suit against them, the police make sure to give there family a hard time.

They are permitted to receive and send letters only to memebers of immediate family, and everything is censored. A low grade prisonner may recieve a visit from one famliy memeber once a month. high grade prisonners even more.

Death Row inmates have a much worse time. they are not given work, but may request some. usually it is glueing something together in their cell. they only leave the cell for a solitary walk. they live in complete isolation, always in solitary confienment. Not a word can they say.
One man was on death row for ten years, and without any family to write to, he never saw anyone but his gaurd durring that entire time! photos are not permitted.

Also, there have been many miscarriages of justice. One man spent forty years on death row before he was finally found to be innocent.

Waiting on Death row isn't easy either. because of "secret" executions, the prisonner never knows when his last day will be. Not the family, lawyer, or anybody is told before the execution, which is done by hanging. The prisonner himself may not know in as little as an hour before it happens. ( so much for last meals.)
Some instances when the family was not even told about the death. they inquired about it, but no one would tell them anything. sometimes they don't notify the family of the death.

Prisonners are allowed radio, and TV, but all monitored by the prison. books are allowed up to two. and one note pad, two pens are permitted. however, these may be taken away for no given reason.

Please note that this is NOT what I have said. I have read this information from the International Human Rights Orginazation. I do not say that it is comepletly accurate, and please feel free to say anything contrary.
I think prison should be bad enough that people want to stay out, but I also think that precautions must be taken to avoid the innocent suffering.

I would like to hear your opinion on this. and please don't mind my writting.
Arigatou!

Pachipro
Jul 11, 2005, 06:02
For instance, when a person is arrested for a crime, they may be interrogated for many hours, even days, without food, water, or rest. there
have been many police brutality cases of kicking and hitting. This is to force a confession out of a person. After this, the person is held in a detention ward, and finally get to see a lawyer! Some people have been held in detention wards waiting trial for long times, there have been people who were there ten years before they were finally released! If convicted of the crime and sent to prison, it gets worse. FALSE!

I don't know much about prison life, but I did detail my experience when I got busted for drugs in Japan in 1987. You can read about it here. (http://www.jref.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17666)

Contrary to what the Human Rights Organization has written, I did not experience any abuse by the police whatsoever during the two weeks I was held for questioning. They were strict and firm, but abusive they were not. And my crime is very severe in Japan.

While I was being held I had a cell mate who was busted again for drugs and he did spend some time in a Japanese prison. When I questioned him about prison life (in case I should have to serve time) he said it was not all that different from what we were experiencing in the jail. Just do as you're told, follow the rules, and things go smoothly. Break the rules and they can be pretty tough on you.

Hopefully my story will enlighten you a little to what actually occurs. Now I cannot say if my case was different from what others experienced or not, but I would have to say that it must be the same across the board.

ookamishi
Jul 11, 2005, 06:09
Thank you for informing me about that. I always appretiate accurate information.

Bramicus
Jul 11, 2005, 08:08
Often, information from "human rights organizations" about prisoner mistreatment is colored by political motives, bias, misunderstanding, and/or just false information by "witnesses" with an axe to grind. LINK (http://www.techcentralstation.com/060305B.html)

dicivi
May 19, 2007, 14:54
I was shocked at your report. Although I believe people should be punished for their crimes, what you describe seems terribly harsh. Last year I was teaching English to Korean post graduate students and I was amazed to find out that they don't have a jury system and that the judge pretty well decides your fate.
Do you have the same system in Japan? Regarding the death penalty I am opposed to it. Since DNA has become an important component in establishing
innocence or guilt, they have found in the USA that at least 80 people have been executed who were not guilty.

Here in Canada we have recently released two people who were sentenced to life, and served over twenty years before DNA proved them not guilty. Under our old system, they would have been dead by now. Darwin

EmperorHirohito
May 19, 2007, 16:39
If that is what prison life is like in Japan, then those prisoners are very unlucky. Over here prisoners get everything in their cells, televisions, radios, and even playstations,but not the ps3 as it poses a security risk.
Have always thought prison was about being punished if you had committed a crime, but that does not mean prisoners should be treated in a bad way.

Mike Cash
May 19, 2007, 17:01
I will point out that Pachipro's case must be considered in a somewhat different light than cases where the criminal is Japanese. Not that the system is any different for foreigners, but in the case of foreigners there is (or exists the option) of monitoring of the situation by the person's embassy. The Japanese criminal justice system isn't overly eager to take actions which can result in diplomatic unpleasantness.

And there are indeed cases where people spend years and years in pre-trial and pre-conviction detention, without bail. I read of one case of a woman who spent about 10 years locked up as her trial wended its way through the courts. In the end she was sentenced to about 8 1/2 years. Whether to apply the time already served in total or in part is entirely up to the discretion of the judge(s). In the woman's case, despite having already been locked up for longer than her total sentence, she was still sent to prison for six months anyway.

I would be happy to recommend vernacular Japanese works dealing with the criminal justice system to anyone who cares to read them.

lenajiang
May 22, 2007, 15:15
Although I believe people should be punished for their crimes, what you describe seems terribly harsh. Darwin

I believe all people are kind by birth all the time .Lacking of social help,encounting terrible matters ,they force to do some harm things, because they want to live .
We should contribute our love ,so the world will become nice and warm.