2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Comprehensive Studies on Rehabilitation of Lifers in Risk Society: Resocialization of indeterminate prisoners

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	17H02466
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Criminal law
Research Institution	Ryukoku University
Principal Investigator	Ishizuka Shinichi 龍谷大学, 法学部, 教授 (90201318)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	笹倉香奈甲南大学, 法学部, 教授 (00516982) 武内謙治九州大学, 法学研究院, 教授 (10325540) 佐藤舞龍谷大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 研究員 (20761092) 森久智江立命館大学, 法学部, 教授 (40507969) 本庄武一橋大学, 大学院法学研究科, 教授 (60345444) 深谷裕北九州市立大学, 地域戦略研究所, 教授 (60435732) 菊山明子 (古川原明子) 龍谷大学, 法学部, 准教授 (60440187) 中村悠人関西学院大学, 司法研究科, 准教授 (90706574)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
Keywords	life imprisonment / risk society / rehabilitation / social treatment / prisoners' rights / death penalty / LWOP / parole for lifers
Outline of Final Research Achievements	The topic of this study is "A comprehensive study on the rehabilitation of lifers in a risk society: Socialising the Treatment of Lifers". In the past, life sentences in Japan were considered "indeterminate" (i.e. sentences with no fixed release date at the time of sentencing). In recent years, however, fewer than 10 people have been released on parole, but the length of imprisonment has exceeded 30 years each year. The population is also aging significantly and the number of deaths among life prisoners is around 30 per year. Life sentences have therefore become 'de facto life sentences' (LWOP). A more serious problem is that LWOP prisoners are rarely offered treatment programmes to help them reintegrate into society. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the actual conditions of treatment of LWOP prisoners, (2) to examine the treatment of LWOP prisoners overseas, and (3) to propose improvements by developing a new treatment programme for LWOP prisoners.
Free Research Field	刑事政策・犯罪学・刑事法
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	①無期受刑者処遇の実態把握、②海外の無期拘禁者処遇調査、③長期受刑者処遇プログラムの開発を目標とした。(1)受刑者アンケート、(2)保安処分施設調査、(3)アジア犯罪学（2021年）でのセッション、(4)欧州犯罪学会（2022年）での報告、(5)刑事施設職員研修、(6)再犯防進計画策定等に協力した。 2025年の拘禁刑導入を控え本研究への期待は大きい。研究チームを再編して研究を継続する。