Mandatory drug-addiction programs for offenders have been suspended because of the novel coronavirus, raising concerns that the already high recidivism rate could rise further and lead to possible probation violations.

A key part of these programs are the group meetings where up to a dozen offenders share their experiences of drug abuse and withdrawal struggles for an hour or so.

Probation officers, recovering drug addicts and rehabilitation facility officers also join the meetings to help the offenders stay clean.

But after the state of emergency was declared in Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures over the novel coronavirus on April 7, the Justice Ministry notified probation offices across the nation, including in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, that they should take countermeasures against the virus infections, including suspension of the drug addiction programs.

The group meetings were canceled or postponed because the venues were considered possible sites for infection clusters.

According to the Justice Ministry, a total of 3,100 people were required to attend the programs across Japan in 2018.

Probation officers say that without the meetings, the number of repeat offenses will likely increase.

A white paper on crime showed that 66.6 percent of people arrested in 2018 on suspicion of violating the stimulant drug control law were reoffenders.

About 320 people joined the programs run by the Osaka Probation Office, but all of them were put on hold after the state of emergency was announced.

Instead of the meetings, probation officers interviewed the offenders by phone and asked them to study designated textbooks on their own and report on their progress via mail.

However, one probation officer said: “The program is effective only when people with the same kinds of experiences can gather and talk about their concerns and suffering. We have low expectations that the self-studies will produce great results.”

As a condition for parole or suspended sentences for drug-related crimes, offenders are often ordered to attend “drug re-abusing prevention programs” at probation offices.

The “core program” involves five biweekly lessons in which participants learn about the horrors of drug addiction.

After the core program, a “step up program” is held once a month where participants come up with ways to stop taking drugs. This program continues until the probation period ends.

Probation officers used to require participants to provide urine or saliva samples for simple drug tests at every session. But they had to stop the practice when the lessons were suspended.

During the state of emergency, the officers, through the telephone interviews, urged those deemed at risk of reoffending to take the tests on a voluntary basis. But some refused to do so.

After the state of emergency was lifted in late May, the core programs in Osaka restarted on a smaller scale from June 1. They are expected to return to full scale in July at the earliest.

“The suspension for such a long time is unprecedented, but we have to consider the health of participants who have underlying illnesses, so we can do nothing about it,” an official said.

In Tokyo, probation officers have been interviewing some of the participants one by one, but they do not know when they can restart the programs at a full scale.

In Nagoya, the probation office has suspended the programs since mid-April, but it restarted drug testing in mid-June.

As a precaution against novel coronavirus infections, the office plans to wait until August to run the full programs again, including group meetings.

According to the Justice Ministry, paroles and suspensions of prison terms can be revoked if the offenders do not take the programs or attend the meetings.

The ministry offered no exemptions to this rule despite the suspensions caused by the pandemic.

“There is the possibility that some participants cannot finish the programs during their probation period,” a ministry official said. “Each probation office will take necessary measures, such as giving lessons more frequently, to avoid such a situation.”

The probation offices themselves will decide on when to restart the programs and how to proceed.

“It will be a difficult operation because of issues over the shortage of probation officers and a possible second wave of the new coronavirus,” an official in Nagoya said.

Another official in Osaka said: “The participants are not responsible for the interruption, and it is understandable for the program period to be shortened. But we would like to make up for it by having interviews one by one.”

Yojiro Watanabe, 44, who had been addicted to stimulant drugs and paint thinner, now shares his experiences in the programs for probation offices in Osaka and Kobe.

“The programs are important pace setters for people to stay off drugs by being checked regularly,” Watanabe said.

He said social solitude worsens the need to feed addictions and that “it is absolutely necessary for them to support each other to avoid using drugs again.”