Photo/Illutration Flowers are placed in front of the home of a volunteer parole and probation officer who was killed by a probationer in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, in May. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Nearly 10 percent of volunteer parole and probation officers feel anxiety, citing the use of their homes to interview offenders and persistent safety concerns expressed by friends and relatives, a Justice Ministry survey showed.

To ease their apprehensions, the ministry plans to assign more than one volunteer officer to each individual in certain cases and instruct ministry-hired professional officers to play more direct roles in supervising those on probation and parole.

The national survey was conducted after the shocking killing of a volunteer officer in May in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, in central Japan.

The victim, a 60-year-old man, was found dead with numerous stab wounds at his home.

On the day of the attack, the volunteer officer was scheduled to meet a convicted thief who was on probation. The offender was later arrested in connection with the murder.

After the officer’s death was reported, 10 volunteer officers resigned and 16 citizens withdrew their applications in the middle of the appointment procedures, according to the ministry’s survey published on July 26.

The ministry directly hires parole and probation officers who have professional expertise and experience.

But it also depends on large numbers of volunteers at the community level who perform similar roles for free to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders into society.

In the survey conducted in late June, the ministry’s parole and probation officers interviewed 16,184 volunteer officers across the nation and found that 1,480 felt unease about their tasks.

They included: 480 with anxiety over using their homes to interview offenders; 444 concerned about the opinions of their families and people around them concerning their activities; and 278 who cited supervising an offender with a history of violence.

Based on the findings, the ministry directed its probation offices to take measures to help the volunteers.

Professional officers will directly handle more cases, and the probation offices will ask volunteers if they wish to work together with another volunteer in dealing with an offender.

The ministry will also request local governments to make their public facilities available for meetings between volunteer officers and those under supervision.

Interviews with those on parole or probation at volunteer officers’ homes are quite common.

In a 2019 government survey, 73.4 percent of volunteers said they use their homes to meet individuals they supervise.

Inviting relatives of would-be volunteer officers to briefings about their expected activities could help gain family members’ understanding, the ministry said.

The ministry will also bolster efforts to assess safety risks posed by the offenders.

In some cases, volunteers were assigned to probationers soon after their verdicts, allowing little time for the officers to become familiar with the background of the offenders and their crimes.

To avoid potential problems, professional officers will get directly involved with probationers at the beginning, rather than leave them to volunteers for the entire time.

The Justice Ministry’s survey also found concerns that the Otsu incident could fuel perceptions that probationers and parolees are dangerous.

Others feared the killing could scare off potential volunteer officers at a time when the government needs more of them.

Around 47,000 people serve as volunteer officers nationwide, but the figure has fallen short of the government target.

Volunteers are supposed to be exemplary citizens in their communities, but they are not necessarily required to possess expertise or other credentials in the criminal justice system.

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