The Security and Social Inclusion of People Who Harm Others or Infringe the Law
Focusing on Caregivers’ Sense of Dilemma and Guilt
2024 Volume 21 Pages 167-192
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2024 Volume 21 Pages 167-192
The security of people with disabilities and of the local community are often contrary. When the actions of a person with a disability are regarded as causing harm to others or infringing the law, then conflicts sharpen. Caregivers who mediate between the two inevitably struggle with dilemma. The aims of this paper are: 1）To recognize that ‘security’ is the leading sub- ject of social inclusion in the 2020s following the UN’s “Concluding observa- tions on the initial report of Japan”; 2）To reveal caregivers’ perspective on car- ing for people who harm others or infringe law; and 3）To describe caregivers’ experience of the dilemma between the possibilities and limitations of their per- spective on caring. To these aims, Tojisya-kenkyu of caregivers is employed in this study. This produced the following two theses. （1）A space of exemption from responsibility is effective for the recovery of people with disabilities who are accused of harm or legal infringements. It is notable that this perspective is the polar opposite of the severe punitive policy that is the mainstream response to those who are accused of harm or legal in- fringements, and suggests the possibility of recovery for these people. （2）However, caring activity that creates space to exempt responsibility arous- es in caregivers a sense of dilemma and guilt. Some limitations are suggested, that is, ‘even if you exempt someone from responsibility, the fault never disap- pears’ and ‘where, in the world, does the fault and the responsibility go?’ At the foundation of this dilemma, there is an ambiguity in the meaning of ‘care.’ Discourses on care that take account of security can support a ‘secure base,’ as well as a ‘social defense.’ It is important to note that both discourses are referred to as ‘care’ within present caring practice. It is necessary to work through the dilemma between security and care for an inclusive society.
