REPORT OF THE SEMINAR
The 177th International Senior Seminar (Online)“Preventing Reoffending through a Multi-stakeholder Approach”

1. Duration and Participants• From 12 January to 3 February 2022
• 19 overseas participants from 12 jurisdictions
2. Programme Overview
As stipulated in the Kyoto Declaration, preventing reoffending through a multi-stakeholder approach isan important theme in the criminal justice field internationally. This seminar aims to promote these efforts
in participating countries, by sharing experiences and discussing (i) case disposition and penalties with due
regard to rehabilitative perspectives and (ii) tailoring intervention, treatment and support to individual needs
by effectively incorporating inter-agency cooperation and public-private partnerships. This programme wasexclusively conducted online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
3. The Content of the Programme(1) Lectures and other presentations
The participants were from a wide range of time zones, including Asia, Africa and Latin America, andthey needed to continue their professional and family duties during the seminar. Therefore, all lectures
were recorded in advance and broadcast on-demand in order to allow participants to view lectures attheir convenience. After watching the on-demand lectures, participants were required to submit questions
or comments via an online learning management system, and their questions were answered in Q&A live
sessions with the respective lecturers. This way, we tried to ensure both convenience and interactivity
in lectures.
The lectures were firstly delivered by UNAFEI professors on the criminal justice system in Japan, as
well as on specific topics relating to this seminar such as promoting measures for reducing reoffending,non-custodial sentences, assessment and re-entry support. After that, the specialist lectures and ad hoclecturers were delivered, followed by Q&A sessions. Furthermore, as a special session, eight Japanesevolunteer probation officers were invited to share their experience as community volunteers.
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Specialist Lecturer- Dr. Will Hughes
Senior Lecturer in Criminology
London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom“Community sentences for rehabilitation of offenders and preventing reoffending”“Multi-stakeholder approaches for effective supervision and support of offenders”--Ad Hoc Lecturers
Mr. HONDA Yuichiro
Public Prosecutor
Chief, Social Reintegration Support Office
General Affairs Department, Tokyo District Public Prosecutors’ Office“Efforts of the Social Reintegration Support Office”
Mr. SUZUKI Takayuki
Specialist
Correction Bureau, Ministry of Justice
and-Mr. TOMIZAWA Satoshi
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Official
Correction Bureau, Ministry of Justice“Public-Private Partnership in Employment Support”(2) Group Workshops
Participants were divided into four groups considering their time zones, Individual Presentations
topics and professional backgrounds.
 Individual Presentations
Participants shared the practices and the challenges in their respective countries regarding thetheme of the seminar through their individual presentations. All the presentations were recorded
and uploaded online so that participants in other groups could watch them afterwards.
 Discussions
Built on the knowledge gained through lectures and individual presentations, the participants
engaged in live discussions to explore more about the theme of the seminar. The subtopics discussed
were: (i) Imposition of penalties and case dispositions with due regard to rehabilitative perspectives
and (ii) Interventions, treatment and support tailored to offenders’ individual needs, with sufficientconsideration of a multi-stakeholder approach. Participants shared challenges and good practices intheir respective countries with group members, and discussed the root causes and necessary
actions for common challenges.
Below is an overview of the discussions:98•

Imposition of penalties and case dispositions with due regard to rehabilitative perspectives
Although it is necessary to ensure due process and proportionality in imposing penalties andcase dispositions, the participants reaffirmed the importance of effective use of non-custodial
measures as far as possible since they can avoid the negative impact of imprisonment on
rehabilitation of offenders and facilitate their social reintegration. They shared the legal basis
for non-custodial measures, including the applicable options, criteria, discretionary power given
to judges, prosecutors etc. It was reported that the existence of laws that provide non-custodial
options does not necessarily mean they are fully used in practice. Many factors that would affectthe active use of non-custodial measures were discussed, such as the necessity of sentencing
guidelines, appropriate assessment required for appropriate use of non-custodial measures, theauthority to implement non-custodial sentences in the community and collaboration with
community partners who can support offenders. It was also noted that efforts should be madefor providing adequate capacity-building and promoting understanding for rehabilitation ofoffenders among judiciary and law enforcement officers.

•Interventions, treatment and support tailored to offenders’ individual needs
To make interventions, treatment and support for offenders most effective, participants
recognized the importance of assessment throughout the criminal justice process to identify theindividual needs of offenders. Various socio-economic factors relating to crime, such as poverty,
isolation, association with gangs and other forms of organized crime, etc. were considered.
Participants stressed the importance of support for employment, education and various support
in collaboration with stakeholders to reintegrate offenders into the community, but various
challenges which hamper rehabilitation and social reintegration of offenders were also discussed.
In prisons, for example, overcrowding was indicated as a significant factor that impedes
rehabilitative environments that would facilitate offender treatment, while in the community,lack of monitoring or supporting systems for released offenders, as well as resources to fulfilthem, were discussed. Furthermore, many participants regarded the issue of general perceptionsof offenders as critically important, since prevailing punitive attitudes would make it difficult toengage various stakeholders in supporting offender rehabilitation. Therefore, government
initiatives not only for promoting inter-agency coordination and community engagement insupporting offender rehabilitation but also for raising awareness for importance of offenderrehabilitation were emphasized.

REPORT OF THE COURSE
4. Feedback from the Participants
At the end of the seminar, we invited feedback from all participants. They said that, even thoughconducted online, they learned a lot from lectures and group discussions, and many of them indicated thatthe seminar served as an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of incorporating rehabilitative perspectives
and multi-stakeholder approaches in their respective professional areas. They also indicated that, if it wereconducted in person, they would learn more about the Japanese system and practice by visiting relevant
institutions in Japan.
5. Comments from the Programming Officer
This seminar discussed the theme of preventing reoffending. In order to reduce reoffending, a wide range
of individual and social factors which would induce or deter crime should be addressed. It cannot be achieved
only by efforts of penal institutions. It requires active involvement of relevant agencies with various expertise,
as well as various community resources.
In order to ensure that the “multi-stakeholder approach” is not just empty words, key persons are
required to make a difference in their systems and practices. The participants in this seminar fully understoodthe concept of the theme and were highly motivated to learn from the experiences of other countries andlectures. They showed great discernment in analysing their current systems and practices, and theyrecognized the need to review their systems and practices from the viewpoint of offender rehabilitation, withdue attention to society and human rights. I believe such sincere attitudes towards learning stimulated theirdiscussions, and I learned a lot from the participants.
The International Senior Seminar invites high-ranked policymakers and practitioners, and it provides
them with a great opportunity to learn deeply about important themes in criminal justice. I hope that theknowledge, thoughts and new perspectives on reducing reoffending gained in this 177th seminar will be
gradually disseminated to various stakeholders in their respective countries, leading toward a global society
in which “no one will be left behind” as envisaged in the SDGs.

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