A third-party expert panel submitted a set of proposals aimed at improving the nation’s prison conditions to the Justice Ministry on Wednesday, in response to a case involving the repeated abuse of inmates at a Nagoya facility.

Twenty-two prison officers committed over 400 cases of abuse involving three inmates at Nagoya Prison over a period lasting from November 2021 until September 2022. Some of the prisoners involved are believed to have intellectual disabilities.

The reforms, including measures targeting the early detection of abuse and efforts to prevent repeat cases, would be applied to all penal institutions nationwide if approved, the ministry has said.

A key recommendation by the panel was increased support for young prison officers, as many involved in the abuse cases in Nagoya were in their 20s and relatively inexperienced.

The panel also said night shift officers should not work alone, which was cited as a possible factor leading to abuse.

“Some young prison officers handle around 100 inmates late at night on their own. If sufficient backup had been provided (for the Nagoya incident), I think (the abuse) would not have happened,” an official at the Justice Ministry said.

Under the proposals, rehabilitation teams, including prison officers and staff involved in social welfare and education, would discuss how each prisoner should be treated, instead of the current system in which one officer is in charge of several inmates.

Efforts would also be made to survey inmates about possible problems amid concerns that they may not come forward on their own.

Another suggestion is expanding prison officers’ use of wearable cameras. A number of facilities, mostly women’s prisons, already use them, with male staff wearing them whenever they come into contact with female inmates.

But to combat cases of abuse, the panel suggested that wearable cameras should also be used by night-shift workers and treatment groups, which would allow for live support while they’re on shift. Staff at the Nagoya facility were using such cameras but they were not setup for live video feeds.

The introduction of a staff identification system was also addressed by the panel. At youth detention centers, staff wear name tags when on duty, but officers at most other penal institutions don’t — including Nagoya Prison. The panel noted that for personnel to be accountable for their actions, a form of identification should be introduced, but added that this does not have to involve name tags because this could lead to intimidation of staff by prisoners.

The proposals also addressed the use of derogatory terms when addressing inmates, saying such language shows a lack of awareness about human rights. Nearly 20% of staff at penal institutions said in a survey taken in response to the Nagoya abuse that they don’t feel they properly consider the rights of inmates, according to the Justice Ministry.

The panel suggested creating an environment fostering the free expression of opinions for staff through systems involving teams and mental health consultations.

It also called for making it clear that officers should be guiding prisoners to help rehabilitate them for social reintegration, not just acting as an authority figure or providing security. It also suggests not treating inmates as if they are dangerous from the beginning, but aiming to mitigate danger through dialogue.

The document also urges a review of the system for deciding where inmates will serve their sentences, suggesting specialized functions at facilities aimed at targeted rehabilitation. Under the current system for male inmates, prisoners' locations are decided based on whether or not they are repeat offenders, among other factors.

The Nagoya facility where the incidents of abuse occurred does not hold first-time offenders, while Shizuoka Prison and Chiba Prison can house such inmates. Members of criminal organizations are treated as repeat offenders even for first offenses.

Under this system, it can be difficult to pay close attention to the details of treatment, and focus tends to fall on inmates needing a high level of attention, the panel said, adding that this may have led to cases of abuse. Facilities should be divided based on the types of offense committed, with a focus on treating specific issues, the panel said.