Should prison facilities be friendly to aging inmates or remain punitively hard for criminals?
It is a question posed by the prison in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, which was remodeled and reopened earlier this year.
The three-story reinforced concrete building has about 500 private cells, each equipped with a desk, a chair, a wooden bed, a panel TV on the wall and an automated washing stand.
The cells, each with a dimension of about 270 centimeters per side, have white walls and plenty of light – far different from the typical image of jail.
For elderly inmates, steps in public areas were taken away and arm rails were added instead.
"When we shared a cell with others, we tended to start talking about crimes and our conversation sometimes went in a wrong direction," a male inmate in his 60s said. "But I now spend more hours studying, preparing for the day I'll be released."
But the new prison has received critical comments from some taxpayers, such as, "It is questionable to provide criminals with facilities almost like a hotel."
Tamotsu Watanabe, a deputy director of the National Association of Crime Victims and Surviving Families, echoed the view.
"Why are only the rights of perpetrators being protected?" he asks. "Is it truly necessary to build such a facility using our tax money?"
Watanabe's 22-year-old daughter was stabbed to death in 2000, prompting him to join the association which asserts that human rights are protected for criminals but not enough for victims and their family members.
Atsushi Yusa, director of the Asahikawa prison, disputed the argument, saying, "We believe the rehabilitation of inmates helps to realize a safer society and we're making further efforts to deepen understanding of the importance of providing a proper environment for prisoners."
Asahikawa prison was remodeled due to dilapidation and reopened in February.
Of its 235 inmates as of October, about 70 percent were serving a sentence of 10 or more years, or life imprisonment. Since their average age was 50.6, including the oldest at 88, the prison readied itself to accommodate more aged inmates in the near future.
Asahikawa prison may be a pioneering case given the increasing number of elderly inmates in Japan.
According to a government white paper, some 10 percent of people put in prison in 2014 were 65 or older, a fivefold jump over the past two decades.
The Justice Ministry also estimates that some 13 percent of inmates aged 60 or older have signs of dementia.
"The burden for prison guards has been increasing," an official at the ministry said, pointing to a need for detention facilities to be changed in order to respond to growing needs from elderly prisoners.
This article was originally published by Kyodo News. Reprinted with permission.
Editor: Olivia Yang
