The Work of Correction: The 37-Year Trajectory of the First Female Director-General of the Correction Bureau

Why do people commit crimes? How can we eliminate crime from this society? The work of correction involves confronting these unanswerable questions and facing those 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 individuals toward rehabilitation.

Contrary to the image of prisons as scary places filled with heinous criminals and gang members, today they are increasingly populated by elderly repeat shoplifters and isolated drug offenders. 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 schools, and how society treats those who have committed crimes, serves as a mirror reflecting the distortions of that era and that society.

Triggered by the "Prison Reform" of 2003, prisons shifted from a closed, secretive system to "open correction," and simultaneously began actively providing improvement guidance to subjects. External forces entered the prisons, leading to significant progress not only in the treatment of inmates but also in rehabilitation support and recidivism prevention measures, such as employment support after release and bridging to welfare and medical care. 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 after serving as the Director-General of the Correction Bureau. This major turning point occurred exactly in the middle of my 37-year career, and it also forged my own attitude toward my work. I spoke about this process in an interview in this magazine (February 2020 issue).

Daily, steady efforts eventually fade away. However, the current state of correction did not come about as a matter of course. The working environment for women has also changed significantly. What I tackled within a male-centered organization was a challenge to strengthen the perspective toward 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 I also want them to rehabilitate after release so they never create another victim." The work of correction must continue to respond to these feelings of crime victims. Though it is inconspicuous, I want to convey that it is important work that confronts fundamental issues for society and human beings.

The Work of Correction: The 37-Year Trajectory of the First Female Director-General of the Correction Bureau

Masako Natori

Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions

272 pages, 1,980 yen (tax included)

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