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Japan’s Probation System: The Role of Volunteers in Offender Rehabilitation
The article “Probation and Volunteers in Japan” by Andrew Watson, published in 2019 in the “Asian Criminology” journal, explores Japan’s probation system, focusing on Professional Probation Officers (PPOs) and Volunteer Probation Officers (VPOs).
VPOs play a vital role, outnumbering PPOs and providing supervision and support to offenders. The article discusses the recruitment, training, and activities of VPOs, highlighting their community-based approach and challenges, such as an ageing volunteer base. It analyses the system’s strengths and the crucial role of volunteers in offender rehabilitation. Read more here.
Andrew Watson, a speaker during the 2nd World Congress for Community Volunteers (2nd WCCV) supporting offender reintegration at the 6th World Congress from 16-18 April 2024, is currently researching volunteering in probation in England and Wales, which was once extensive but effectively ceased at the turn of the century—a “lost landscape” with prospects for revival. His research includes interviews with probation officers who served in the final decades of the last century and former volunteers. Watson’s research focuses on international probation, particularly Japan’s use of volunteers, which he believes can benefit probation systems in other countries, including Britain. During his presentation on the 2nd WCCV, Watson also highlighted the CoPPer project, and that its an initiative aimed at exploring and promoting the role of volunteers in probation services, drawing on international models to enhance community involvement in offender rehabilitation.
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