Correctional Work: 37-Year Trajectory of the First Female Correction Bureau Officer of the Ministry of Justice

2022/02/07

Why do people commit crimes? How can we eliminate crime from this society? Correctional work involves confronting questions with no answers and facing people who have committed crimes in prisons and juvenile training schools. It is the work of the Ministry of Justice, protecting public safety and order while leading subjects toward rehabilitation.

Contrary to the image of prisons as scary places for violent criminals and gang members, today, elderly repeat shoplifters and lonely drug offenders are the most prominent. While motorcycle gangs have disappeared and the number of juvenile delinquents has plummeted, their harsh upbringing is heartbreaking. This is the reality of Japan's correctional facilities today.

Who is in prison or juvenile training school, and how society treats those who have committed crimes, serves as a mirror reflecting the distortions of that era and society.

Triggered by the "Penal Reform" of 2003, prisons shifted from a closed, secretive system to "open corrections," and simultaneously began actively providing improvement guidance to subjects. External forces entered prisons, and rehabilitation support and recidivism prevention measures—such as employment support after release and bridging to welfare and medical care, in addition to the treatment of inmates—advanced significantly. Accordingly, the internal environment changed, and correctional facilities evolved into organizations that value diversity, where professionals from various fields work together.

I joined the Ministry of Justice in 1983 and retired in 2020, finishing my career as the Correction Bureau Officer. I reached this major turning point right in the middle of my 37-year career, which also forged my own attitude toward work. I spoke about this process in an interview in this magazine (February 2020 issue).

Daily, steady efforts fade away. However, today's corrections did not come about as a matter of course. The working environment for women has also changed significantly. Working within a male-centered organization was a challenge that sharpened my perspective on minorities. After retiring, I wrote down what I thought through my work all at once, before I forgot.

Can society accept people who have committed crimes once again? The final barrier is the issue of prejudice and isolation in society.

"I want perpetrators to be strictly punished. But once they are released, I want them to rehabilitate so they never create another victim." Correctional work must continue to respond to these feelings of crime victims. It is inconspicuous, but I want to convey that it is important work that confronts fundamental issues for society and humanity.

Correctional Work: 37-Year Trajectory of the First Female Correction Bureau Officer of the Ministry of Justice

Masako Natori

Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions

272 pages, 1,980 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.