Japan: Women seriously abused in prisons

Nov 14, 2023 | News On Japan

Nov 14, 2023 (hrw.org) - Many women imprisoned in Japan suffer serious human rights abuse and mistreatment, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

Japanese government should urgently adopt reforms to improve prison conditions, decriminalize simple possession and use of drugs, and provide alternatives to imprisonment.

The 76-page report, “‘They Don’t Treat Us like Human Beings’: Abuse of Imprisoned Women in Japan,” documents the abusive conditions in many women’s prisons in Japan. Government policies towards women in prison violate international human rights conventions and contravene international standards such as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules of the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Mandela Rules. Prison authorities use restraints on imprisoned pregnant women, arbitrarily employ solitary confinement as a form of punishment, verbally abuse women in prison, deny incarcerated women’s opportunities to parent their child in prison, and fail to provide adequate access to health and mental health care.

Japan also imprisons many women for the simple possession and use of drugs without ensuring adequate access to effective and evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders.

Judges are limited in their authority to utilize alternatives to imprisonment for crimes, such as petty theft, because noncustodial measures such community service are not included in Japan’s penal code. ...continue reading

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