Ryukoku University carries the tradition of the chaplaincy activities of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji Sect from the prewar period until the present day. Based on this history, Ryukoku University founded the Corrections and Rehabilitation Course at the Faculty of Law in 1977, becoming the only education program in Japan to offer a specialization in criminal justice policy. Since that time, we have been carrying out educational activities grounded in practical experience for students who aim for careers such as corrections officers in prisons, juvenile training schools and juvenile classification homes, those who aim to work as probation officers to offer helping hands for the rehabilitation of people who have committed crimes and offences, and also for those students who hope to engage in volunteer activities as volunteer probation officers.
In December of 2001, building on the educational achievements in fields like corrections and rehabilitations, Ryukoku University founded the Corrections and Rehabilitation Research Center (CRRC) to present a new concept of criminal justice for the new century. From 2002 on, the Center became the first university affiliated private research organization in the field of criminal justice policy to be selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) for an **AFC Grant,** and we have continued our research activities for 8 years with this support.
The CRRC`s research activities in the field of criminal justice policy both put into practice the ideals upon which Ryukoku University was founded and steadily achieve practical results in the field, for which the Center has come to be highly regarded.
In 2010 Ryukoku University established the Corrections and Rehabilitation Center (CRC). This integrated center will continue to further develop and break ground in both education and research, thereby continuing our activities to contribute to society through our field.
The Corrections and Rehabilitation Course offers education grounded in practical experience for the development of students who aim for careers such as corrections officers in prisons, juvenile training schools and juvenile classification homes, those who aim to work as probation officers to offer helping hands for the rehabilitation of people who have committed crimes and offences, and also for those students who hope to engage in volunteer activities such as volunteer probation officers.
Course instructors include people with professional experience in the world of corrections and rehabilitations, ranging from retired profession such as a former District Chief of Corrections, a Prison Warden, a Juvenile Training School Manager, a Juvenile Institution Warden, and a Juvenile Classification Home Chief, and currently serving public servants such as a regional Parole Board Chair and a Probation Office Chief. The course instructors offer lectures and practicum based on their wealth of professional experience.
As part of the educational program and with the cooperation of various institutions throughout the region, every year in August and September, students visit rehabilitation and corrections institutions as part of their class in order to supplement classroom learning with direct experience.
Kyoto Prison, Shiga Prison, Osaka Prison, Katano Gaku-en Juvenile Training School, Wakayama Prison, Kyoto Juvenile Classification Home, Otsu Juvenile Classification Home, Nara Juvenile Training School, Naniwa Juvenile Training School, Kyoto Medical Juvenile Training School, Osaka Medical Prison, Harima rehabilitation Center, (and more)
Nishi Hongwanji Byakkoso, Osaka Prefecture Shutoku Gaku-in Rehabilitation Institution Kyoto Hogo Ikuseikai.(and more)
-researches the current situation of legislation and practice on corrections and rehabilitation; examines current legislation and its influence on practice in order to make practical proposals for improving legislation.
Through the situation in which an act committed is not considered a crime in one's own country and culture, but is considered one in another, ways in which such an act should be dealt with in criminal law will be considered. What is a crime? What is punishment? This project will aim to clarify these points.
In the "Hate Crime Research" program, a legal and social solution model will be presented, based on the results of a quantitative survey. 1.What is the foundation of "Hate Speech" (using threatening or insulting expressions in an aggressive manner against a group characterized by certain attributes on the street through propaganda activities, demos, and on the internet)? Why is there a necessity to use the expression "hate speech"? What sets it apart from defamation and insult in accordance with current law? 2.Differing from Individual defamation, what is "harm" caused by hate speech? What is "damage" caused by such harm? 3.What types of legal actions and social measures are applied to such harm and the actual conditions of damage?
In addition to the development and implementation of self-report delinquency surveys as a scientific crime indicator in criminology, the research project will study the causes of crime and delinquency and factors for rehabilitation, and explore the prevention of crime and delinquency in the community.
The research focuses on the prevention of recidivism and studies the current situation of effective programs to supervise and assist elderly ＆ handicapped offenders and support their social reintegration.
This research explores the ever-decreasing number of juvenile delinquents in Japan and their causes, and also analyses the difficulties faced by juveniles who do not acting-out (committing a crime), then examines what the future of juvenile justice and treatment of juvenile delinquents should be like, based on the actual image of troubled juveniles and by studying practices in other countries such as Italy.
This project aims to serve as a platform by compiling forensic insight and knowledge from both domestic and international sources. Based on these, the project will establish criteria for evaluating the reliability and credibility of scientific evidence and testimony in criminal justice proceedings.
The project will build upon the research of the Forensic Science Study Group*, which was subsidized by the Ryukoku Corrections and Rehabilitation Center.
Topics covered to date have ranged from principal component analysis, hair analysis, urinalysis, DNA testing, image analysis, digital forensics, combustion testing, and eyewitness testimony. In particular, the project has focused on issues related to the Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) theory, and its research results have led to several international symposiums and the publication of Akachan no Gyakutai Enzai.
*This group has operated under the Criminology Research Center of Ryukoku University from FY2016 to FY2023.
This researches on some practices for th prisoners and ex-prisoners will be carried out with cooperation of two brances of Ryukoku University alumni association: Ginnan-kai branch (composed of graduates working in Correctional Facilities) and that of Toyu-kai (group of volunteer graduates for the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners).
Surveys and comparatives legal researches will be made to the awareness consciousness on the religious activities in the prisons, of the detainees, the facility staff and the external religious volunteers.
Shigemitsu DANDO (8 November 1913－25 June 2012),who held prominent positions such as professor at the University of Tokyo and the Justice of the Supreme Court in Japan, the Special Adviser of the Imperial Household Agency and wrote an important page in the history of Jurisprudence.
Corrections and Rehabilitation Center, Ryukoku University has undertaken the preservation of materials inherited from Dr. Dando, known as “Dando Collection”.
This project addresses a comprehensive study on “Dando Collection”.
The research analyses and organizes the archives of historical documents and materials preserved by correctional institutions across the country, which will be collected by the Correctional Historical Archives to be established on the site of the former Nara Prison.J
To clarify the present condition of criminal defense, seminars will be held for practitioners, researchers, judicial apprentices, postgraduate students, etc.in which concrete incidents are used as raw material for readings and cases. Seminars will be held based on a training curriculum for young lawyers who aim to be criminal defense attendants, and also to master basic and practical knowledge of criminal policy, criminal science, and judicial welfare.
To be able to share the latest technology and knowledge of such areas as personal identification through DNA, material identification by fluorescent X-ray analysis, testimony analysis as viewed through the lens of psychology, etc. with practitioners and researchers, a legal science seminar will be held.
Research will be conducted regarding educational opportunities for junior high and high school students, and regular citizens about punishment enforcement and treatment, as well as the holding of seminars and symposiums which aim to promote greater understanding about the justice administration (court system, etc.).
This is a study group on the reintegration and re-socialization of ex-inmates released from penal institutions. In cooperation with the NPO Mother House, which is a group for ex-inmates and supporters, APS holds monthly study meetings, and also organizes research trips and mock courts with the participation of the people concerned. In cooperation with ATA-net (Addiction Trans-Advocacy Network), we are also trying to implement "ENTAKU", a problem-sharing program, in society.
As one of the important activities Ryukoku University undertakes as an embodiment of the university's founding spirit, we have developed the project for correction and rehabilitation to reintegrate those with records of crime and delinquency into society. This project's success will signify the cultivation of an educational system which provides perspective for the future and answers to the call of the times, infusing the incidence of crime with diverse wisdom and scientifically reorganizing political measures surrounding the phenomenon of crime from the perspective of crime prevention and interpersonal support. This will provide the basis for the organization of a new system of criminology.
Furthermore, we plan to collaborate with the Ryukoku University Criminal Research Center [CrimRC] while implementing our research plan.
Based on our achievements in research, the CRC provides educational opportunities for the general public. So far, under the auspices of our corrections and rehabilitation course of study, approximately 400 members of the general public (non-university students) have studied at the center. Open lecture series provide opportunities for the general public to interact with chaplains, probation officers, and social workers, and educational opportunities are also provided to give citizens the chance to learn about the judiciary and the citizen juror system. To help citizens gain the knowledge and understanding necessary to serve as jurors, the CRC also develops curricula and educational materials for elementary, middle, and high school students.
We are also planning public lecture events and research groups in conjunction with various organizations, including the corrections institution branch of the Ginnan-Kai, the corrections education branch of the Toyu-kai, and also victim`s groups.