Japanese Juveniles in Transition

Abstract

Youth crime has fallen dramatically in Japan. Consequently, contact with and processing by the juvenile justice system is much reduced. Few youths receive a custodial sentence, and of those that do, most serve their sentences in closed and semi-closed juvenile facilities. In this chapter, a brief overview of the justice system as it applies to youths is provided, as well as a description of the transition process youth experience as they return back to their communities from a Juvenile Training School. Connections between transition practices in the Juvenile Training School and the Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 are highlighted. The local transition challenge of volunteer probation officers is described, followed by a case study of a relatively typical youth. The chapter closes with implications for practice and further readings.