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Kin, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Contemporary Japan

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Crime and Justice in Contemporary Japan

Abstract

This ethnographic study explores the consequences of committing crime in Japan and how they extend to the offenders’ kin. By examining the interactions between the family members and the agents of control, this study reveals the consistent exploitation of offenders’ kin by the criminal justice system to apprehend, prosecute, punish, and rehabilitate lawbreakers. The findings suggest that criminal justice in Japan is achieved at the significant cost of those who are closest to the offenders. The study offers some policy recommendations to curtail familial responsibilities.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Drug offenders, the elderly, and those who committed yakuza-related organized crimes are less likely to be admitted to halfway houses in Japan (Kikuta, 2002, p. 196).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Mari Kita

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  1. Mari Kita
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Correspondence to Mari Kita .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China

    Jianhong Liu

  2. Hastings College of the Law, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

    Setsuo Miyazawa

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Kita, M. (2018). Kin, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Contemporary Japan. In: Liu, J., Miyazawa, S. (eds) Crime and Justice in Contemporary Japan. Springer Series on Asian Criminology and Criminal Justice Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69359-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69359-0_3

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