Religion helps inmates confront crimes as Japan prison adapts
CHIBA, Japan (Kyodo) -- The faint smell of incense hung in the air as more than 200 inmates sat silently in a prison gymnasium, hands clasped in praye
In a Chiba prison gymnasium, over 200 inmates participated in a Buddhist ceremony on July 31, commemorating the observance of Urabone. This ritual honors ancestors and deceased loved ones. For many long-term inmates, this religious practice offers a means to grapple with their crimes and seek support in their daily lives.
Located in Chiba city's Wakaba Ward, Chiba Prison houses inmates serving sentences of 10 years or more, with over 70% of the population imprisoned for crimes involving homicide. During the ceremony, about 20 prison officers supervised inmates dressed in blue-green uniforms, who bowed and offered incense as a Buddhist priest chanted sutras.
Japanese law mandates penal institutions to provide inmates with opportunities to engage in religious activities. Chiba Prison hosts five such events annually, including Christmas observances. One inmate, in his 60s and serving 23 years, attends the Urabone ceremony yearly to pray for his victim and parents, asking the prison chaplain to recite sutras on the monthly anniversaries of their deaths.
Wako Okamoto, a 63-year-old Buddhist priest serving as the prison chaplain for over 25 years, notes that most inmates are ordinary individuals who may have been good fathers. Okamoto aims to help inmates consider different perspectives on life and find purpose. He sees his role as facilitating this reflective process.
However, prisons are increasingly confronted with the challenge of accommodating a growing number of foreign nationals and the diverse range of religions they follow. At Chiba Prison, about 30% of unconvicted detainees are foreign nationals, necessitating officials to address the needs of followers of Islam and other faiths.
Prison staff generally permit prayer during free time and the possession of religious items such as prayer compasses and rosaries. They also allow requests for hand washing and foot washing for ritual purification. Senior correctional officer Tsuyoshi Uemura highlights the difficulty in determining whether a requested practice genuinely stems from religious reasons.
Staff members conduct research on religious teachings and consult other correctional facilities to assess how similar cases have been addressed. Requests may be denied if the practice could disrupt prison discipline or order, such as the sound of prayer potentially interfering with prison operations. Uemura emphasizes that accommodating religious practices can benefit prison operations by bringing peace of mind to inmates, facilitating staff duties.
Uemura concludes that the prison's approach is to protect freedom of religion to the greatest extent possible while maintaining discipline and order.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
