Imprisonment - Choueki

It is a type of penal servitude along with imprisonment and detention. The punishment is not only to detain the inmate in a penal institution, but also to impose forced labor (Article 12 of the Penal Code). In this respect, it differs from imprisonment and detention, which only allow prisoners to "work at their request" (Articles 92 and 93 of the Penal Detention Facility Act). Imprisonment is understood as a punishment for shameless crimes (crimes committed with morally or ethically reprehensible motives).

Imprisonment can be either life or fixed term, with fixed term ranging from one month to 20 years, but can be extended to 30 years if the sentence is aggravated, or reduced to less than one month if the sentence is mitigated (Articles 12 and 14 of the same law). In the case of imprisonment, although prison labor is a part of the punishment, it is not simply an infliction of pain, but is intended to stimulate the desire to work and to help the inmates acquire vocational skills and knowledge. The Penal Detention Facilities Law emphasizes this point and stipulates that labor is a method of correctional treatment (Article 84 of the Penal Detention Facilities Law).

The "idea for unifying imprisonment and incarceration (single sentence theory)," which is based on the fact that there is no distinction between shameless and non-shameful crimes, and that most inmates serving prison sentences perform work at their own request, meaning that the distinction between the two has essentially disappeared, was strongly advocated during the review process of the draft revised Penal Code in the 1960s, but has faded into obscurity in recent legislative debate.

Regarding the treatment of inmates serving imprisonment, who currently account for more than 99% of all inmates, the Criminal Detention Facilities Act, which was enacted in conjunction with a complete revision of the Prison Law, emphasizes the goal of rehabilitation (Article 30 of the same Act), implements corrective treatment based on "treatment guidelines" established for each inmate (Article 84 of the same Act), and grants parole to inmates who are found to show signs of remorse after a certain period of their sentence has passed (Penal Code, Article 28, Offender Rehabilitation Act, Article 16).

[Masaoki Ishikawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

禁錮(きんこ)、拘留と並ぶ自由刑の一種。刑事施設に拘禁するだけでなく、作業を強制的に科すことを刑罰の内容とする（刑法12条）。この点で、受刑者からの「申出による作業」のみを認める禁錮・拘留の場合と異なる（刑事収容施設法92条・93条）。懲役は破廉恥犯（道徳的または倫理的に非難されるべき動機により犯される犯罪）に対する刑罰であると理解される。

　懲役には無期と有期の別があり、有期は1月以上20年以下であるが、加重する場合には30年まで延ばすことができ、減軽する場合には1月未満にすることができる（同法12条・14条）。懲役の場合、刑務作業は刑罰内容であるとはいえ、単なる苦痛の賦科ではなく、勤労意欲の喚起や職業的技能・知識の習得などを目的とする。刑事収容施設法ではこの点を強調して、作業は矯正処遇の一方法であると規定する（刑事収容施設法84条）。

　犯罪に破廉恥・非破廉恥の区別のないこと、禁錮受刑者のほとんどが申出による作業を行っていて、実質上両者の区別がなくなっていることなどを論拠にする「懲役・禁錮の一本化論（単一刑論）」は、昭和40年代の改正刑法草案の検討過程で有力に主張されたが、近年の立法論においては影を潜めている。

　現在では全受刑者の99％以上を占める懲役受刑者の処遇については、監獄法の全面改正に伴って成立した刑事収容施設法により、改善更生目的が強調され（同法30条）、受刑者ごとに定められる「処遇要領」に基づいて矯正処遇が実施され（同法84条）、刑期の一定期間を経過して改悛(かいしゅん)の状が認められる者には仮釈放が許される（刑法28条、更生保護法16条）。

［石川正興］

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