The Justice Ministry is expanding clinical and career support for prisoners with mental and developmental disabilities by collaborating with medical institutions, cities and towns as well as social welfare organizations.

Japan is set to introduce an incarceration system based on rehabilitation rather than retribution, as an amendment of the Penal Code takes effect in 2025.

One of the main targets is to reduce the recidivism rate, which tends to be higher for prisoners with mental and developmental disabilities.

Among a total of 14,460 newly incarcerated people in 2022, some 16.8% were diagnosed with certain forms of mental disabilities, up from 15% in 2018, according to an annual white paper on crime published by the Justice Ministry. That share is even higher among minors newly admitted to juvenile facilities, at 34.5%, up from 22.6% in 2018.

Since inmates with mental disabilities often repeat similar offenses after a short period of time — partly due to a lack of necessary support — increased help from staffers with specialized knowledge is becoming crucial, according to the Justice Ministry.

In a new project launched at Osaka Prison on Monday, 30 inmates either diagnosed with or are suspected of having mental disabilities will be admitted into a group that receives personalized correctional measures.

These include assessments of their conditions over a 12-month period, in-prison jobs based on their capabilities, medical treatment and post-release career guidance. Under a new cooperation agreement, a dedicated team of correction officers as well as educational and medical experts from the ministry’s Western Japan Correctional Medical Center have also been dispatched to assist in the new program.

The program comes on the heels of two similar projects that are currently underway at Nagasaki and Sapporo prisons.

Launched in October 2022, the Nagasaki Prison was the first institution in the nation to create a “social reintegration division” that involves social welfare organizations in the support of such inmates.

As the extent of clinical treatment received by inmates prior to incarceration varies, the program also helps those who have not received proper clinical diagnoses and certified by the government as people with disabilities, thereby allowing the individual to receive public support and benefits.

The ministry is looking to reassess these programs in the near future, with the prospect of expanding such initiatives to correctional facilities nationwide.