NCJ Number
94209
Date Published
1980
Length
38 pages
Annotation
Recent trends in juvenile crime and juvenile justice in Japan include a decrease in serious offenses by juveniles and greater efforts by the police to guide juvenile offenders who commit minor offenses.
Abstract
Less serious offenders are now more often sentenced to protective educational measures such as probation and commitment to juvenile training schools. These measures are implemented effectively. Juvenile laws in Japan have changed from the customary laws governing the country in its earliest history to the penal code adopted in 1908 and through the reforms of the legal system undertaken after World War II. The law defines juveniles as persons under age 20, while the draft of the amended Juvenile Law of 1976 contained a provision permitting more active prosecution of juvenile delinquents aged 18 and 19. Following the model of the United States, Japan has adopted the family court system. Hearings are carried out in closed courts to prevent the stigmatization of juvenile suspects. Data tables, notes, and additional descriptions of juvenile case processing and juvenile corrections in Japan are supplied.