FACTORY HOURS TO BE ADOPTED IN JAPAN'S JAILS

Shannon News, 13 July 1928, Page 4

FACTORY HOURS TO BE ADOPTED IN JAPAN'S JAILS

"A mere punishment of criminals by imposing on them isolation and hard labour will not accomplish the aim of prison service," declares Keisuke Tsuji, a member of criminal affairs administration bureau in reference to the important reforms to be made in prisons by the Minister of Justice. "Crime is the product of social conditions, and we ought to share the responsibility for its existence. We must try to prevent crime by edueatio . The prison service to-day must include a spiritual and mental training as well as physical. '' To accomplish this end we provide vocational education. Our motto is: 'Make men diligent and thoy will be honest.' 'We examine all new-comers as to their educational qualifications and mental inclinations. Most of thorn are poor and have no delinite training in a trade. We* train them for the kind of trade for which they seem most suited. ,• "We . also teach them reading and writing. The „age limit for this type of education ; was raised last year frefm 18 to 30 years. As the inmates of prisons are still members of society, iit is not well for them to be ignorant of the affairs of the community they will rejoin upon completitibn of their terms. Therefore, we publish a newspaper called Hito (The Man) three times'a month. This journal furnishes thOm news on all current topics. We further provide motion picture entertainment twice-a month. Education by films iis having good results. "We intend to make great improvements in the health conditions of the prisons. We think that prisoners should go out into the world better equipped physically and mentally." I Among the improvements suggested are thorough vocational training, estdb- | lishment of a definite educational policy, better facilities for communication with the outside world, abolition of inhuman and insanitary punishments, appropriate facilities for supervising exconvicts, the education of juvenile pris-, oners, and the preparation of prisoners to live in the community after discharge. • ' The strange, prejudice which exists against the employment of in Japan will be combatted, and the prison authorities themselves will seek to find employment for discharged prisoners. ' .