Photo/Illutration A September 2010 photo of a cell at the Osaka Detention House used by as many as eight inmates (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Inmates remain stuck in places that the government wants people to avoid: unventilated and congested rooms that could become potential hotspots for coronavirus infections.

Incarcerated individuals are complaining that their living conditions put them at risk of contracting COVID-19. And they have also railed against anti-virus measures which they claim are denying their basic human rights.

In many detention houses and prisons in Japan, seven or eight inmates often share one 10-tatami-mat cell. Except for 30 minutes of exercise a day as well as two baths a week, all inmates spend most of their time in their cell, even for meals.

In April, a man at the Osaka Detention House who was waiting for the verdict in his trial sent a letter to his lawyer about fears of becoming infected by the novel coronavirus. He wrote that he was stuck in a cell with six others.

Eight correctional officers at the Osaka Detention House had been confirmed infected by the coronavirus by April 17.

According to Justice Ministry officials, the infected officers handled a wide range of activities, including overseeing prisoners during their exercise periods or instructing them on their prison work.

After their infections were confirmed, as many as 150 correctional officers, or about one-fourth the total staff, were ordered to self-quarantine at home.

Correctional officers from other facilities were sent to the Osaka Detention House to make up for the manpower shortage.

In addition, 60 or so inmates who had come in close contact with the infected officers were also quarantined in individual cells.

An Osaka Detention House official said it was impossible to isolate all inmates because there are not enough cells. The facility holds about 1,100 convicts and defendants awaiting their verdicts.

The suspect who sent the letter to his lawyer also said that his request for a face mask was turned down.

But detention house officials said the mask policy was changed on April 28, and those confined to cells with other inmates are now given one paper face mask each.

The suspect also expressed dissatisfaction with a Justice Ministry directive issued on April 8 that allows inmates to receive visits only from their lawyers. The order was made to prevent a spread of COVID-19 infections.

The suspect said the new guidelines have prevented visits by a female acquaintance, his only source of enjoyment while at the Osaka Detention House.

Inmates are allowed a 20-minute videoconference in lieu of a direct visit if their lawyers submit requests beforehand, but the man said that the time was too short.

Lawyers have also raised concerns about the restrictions on visitors for inmates. Some lawyers said visits by family and friends provide inmates with the psychological support they need for their eventual return to society.

A 23-year-old man detained at the Tokyo Detention House filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court demanding a retraction of the limitation on visits. He argued that the directive had no legal basis and restricted his right to meet with family members.

However, the court on May 1 rejected the lawsuit on grounds the directive involved a procedural matter and was not a disciplinary measure that a lawsuit could overturn.

The district court also ruled that the plaintiff did not suffer any direct damage from the directive, which was intended to prevent coronavirus infections among inmates, their visitors and prison staff.

Correctional officers in Hokkaido and Tokyo have also been infected with the coronavirus.

(This article was compiled from reports by Takuji Hosomi, Yuto Yoneda, Mizuho Morioka and Shunsuke Abe.)