A Study of the Enactment of a Special Act for the Repeat Sex Offenders

Abstract

Sex crime is a serious problem. It causes mental pain for victims and social unrest. GPS monitoring and the official information disclosure system have become famous topics of discussion in Japan in the last few years. In this paper I raise three points that have yet to be discussed in this context: (1) a sex offender has a mental illness, requiring special treatment; (2) the judicial system needs a system for investigating an accused's individual traits in court to facilitate correctional treatment; (3) a period for the treatment of sex offenders in penal institutions must be ensured. In this paper, I mention a controversial mental disease called sex addiction and point out possible methods for treating sex offenders. Finally I discuss a new criminal justice system in Japan for repeat sex offenders and propose four ideas: (1) a system for pre-sentencing investigation, (2) treatment advice from judges, (3) a treatment system in penal institutions that allots ample time for the treatment of illness, (4) the assurance of enough time before probation.