dive into Fuchū prison where discipline and cleanliness are essential

In this men’s prison, there is no overcrowding and the rules are extremely strict. The prisoners do their own cleaning and those who can, work 8 hours a day.

In Japan, the safety that one immediately feels in public spaces does not mean that there are no crimes and offences at all. As in all countries, there are thefts, murders, various types of trafficking, assaults, but in much smaller proportions than in France, with stronger repression. An individual who is charged and sent to court has a 99% chance of being convicted, not because justice is expeditious, but because prosecutors sort them out in advance. In reality, they only charge a third of suspects, only those for whom they are certain that a sentence will be handed down, a fine or imprisonment. In Japan, possession of a few grams of cannabis is paid for in years of prison. A one-year prison sentence is not adjusted, it is carried out.

In Japan’s largest men’s prison, Fuchūin Tokyo Prefecture, what stands out is the cleanliness, it’s just impeccable.

There is no prison overcrowding. This prison has 2,668 places and “hasCurrently, we have about 1,700 prisoners, including about 350 foreigners. Almost none of them speak Japanese and they are not familiar with the Japanese way of life.” explains Yashiro, the prison director. The rules are extremely strict: no escapes, no suicides, no smartphones, no drugs.

The prisoners are there to be re-educated to social life, so they are the ones who clean their cells and the corridors, they are the ones who fold their futons, or make their beds for the strangers. Those who are fit work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., either in the kitchens to prepare meals, or to wash clothes, towels and bedding, or in the workshop to make objects, including with tools like hammers or screwdrivers, but without fighting or trying to escape.

Unfortunately, we cannot avoid repeat offences because society does not reintegrate repeat offenders well. They are sometimes released with training acquired in prison, but which they cannot use to their advantage. The prisoners are increasingly older, because some sixty- or seventy-year-olds who did not succeed in their release commit a crime and come back, ultimately finding themselves better off in prison than outside, even if it must be admitted that psychologically, it is a very harsh regime.