NCJ Number
117614
Date Published
1988
Length
167 pages
Annotation
This statistical analysis focuses primarily on crime trends and activities related to the treatment of offenders and recidivists in Japan during 1987.
Abstract
The analysis covers crime trends in general; offender treatment during prosecution, adjudication, and corrections (custodial and noncustodial); juvenile delinquency; and recidivism. Statistical data show that offenders with multiple convictions can be classified in several categories. Some recidivists, for example, repeat relatively minor property offenses, while others repeat major property offenses. Other offenders repeatedly violate Japan's Stimulant Drug Law to earn money necessary for criminal group operations or to support their drug dependency. The key issue is what measures should be taken to prevent recidivists from committing further offenses and facilitate their integration into society. Generally speaking, the more often offenders repeat crimes, the more difficult their apprehension becomes because their skill in criminal acts increases. Among persons frequently convicted, many committed the first offense at an early age. Those who started their criminal careers at an early age show less possibility of rehabilitation than other recidivists. The task is to treat young offenders before they eventually become habitual offenders. Appropriate treatment schemes should be applied to recidivists, depending on their personality and behavior characteristics, to resocialize them. For drug addicts, special treatment programs are needed to eliminate drug dependency and control drug trafficking. 181 tables, 25 figures.