Four teachers at the Hiroshima Juvenile Training School were arrested June 9 on suspicion of using violence against residents. If the allegations prove true, their actions are extremely deplorable. The purpose of the school is to reform minors who have committed crimes so that they can become productive members of society, not to terrorize them and psychologically scar them for life.
The Hiroshima reformatory enjoyed a good reputation until April 2, when reports of violence surfaced after a resident talked to a teacher. The Justice Ministry's Hiroshima Regional Correction Headquarters began an investigation and reported on May 22 that several teachers, including the four arrested, committed roughly 100 acts of violence against some 50 residents in fiscal 2008 alone.
The violent acts that the police cited in making the arrests occurred from April 2008 to March 2009. They included sitting astride a boy, choking him and striking his face; forcing another to wet his pants by barring him from going to the toilet; and showering another's trousers with water and forcing him to wear paper diapers. The teachers, ages 26, 29, 32 and 43, were all males. Police said the suspects committed the acts of violence in places likely to escape the attention of other teachers, including a gym, a storage room and in dormitories on weekends.