A review committee of the Ministry of Justice has compiled an interim report aimed at reviewing the system regarding probation officers who support the recovery of people who have finished serving their sentences in prison. The plan includes the introduction of a public recruitment system on a trial basis to resolve the shortage of personnel.
Probation officers, who provide local support to help people get back on their feet after leaving prisons or juvenile training schools, are aging, with 80% being over 60 years old, and the number of probation officers is decreasing year by year, which is an issue.
In light of this current situation, a review committee of the Ministry of Justice has compiled an interim report aimed at reviewing the system to create a sustainable system.
According to the report,
the current system, which relies on the connections of volunteer probation officers to search for volunteers and select them through recommendations, has reached its limits in some regions, and will introduce an open recruitment system on a trial basis.
Additionally,
the age at which a person is first appointed as a probation officer is, in principle, 66 years of age or younger, but this age limit will be abolished from FY2020.
Furthermore,
since it has been pointed out that the two-year term is ``short,'' we will consider extending it.
▽As for whether or not compensation should be paid rather than volunteering, there are opinions that it is not appropriate because it is considered labor, but there are also opinions that it is necessary to secure workers from a wide range of age groups, and the company will continue to consider it.
The Ministry of Justice's review committee plans to compile a report this October.