In Japanese prisons, compliance with rules is extremely high. And that fact is quite remarkable considering the strictness of Japanese prisons.
In solitary confinement, commonly referred to as “the hole” in English or 懲罰 in Japanese, the prisoner is awoken at at 7am. Within minutes, the futon must be folded up neatly and stored. The blanket is then folded neatly and placed precisely centered on top of the futon. The pillow is then place precisely centered on top of the blanket. Any deviation from precise folding or precise placement is subject to strict punishment. Punishment may include forced standing at attention or reduced food rations.
After the bedding is properly stored, the inmate will sit seiza on the tatami floor, similar to what this guy is doing.
As one sits seiza, his arms must be straightly extended so that each hand, palm down, is in the top of the knee. The head may not move side to side. The eyes must face forward. Looking side to side or up or down is cause for punishment. Of course, slouching to one side is strictly prohibited. Shoulder back, neck straight, chin up.
The inmate will sit in this position contemplating his wrong-doing. At lunch, he may eat. After eating, he will sit seiza until dinner. After dinner, he will be given a thin cushion to sit on until lights out, at which time he will place the futon on the tatami, and go to sleep.
During solitary confinement, there is not talking whatsoever. No noise whatsoever. No external stimuli.
I did 13 months of solitary confinement before being moved to general population. During this time, it’s best to learn the lesson of Zen. That is, you cannot be frustrated in your desires if you have no desires. If somebody wants to torture you, instead of fearing the torture, embrace it, love it. Whatever somebody forces upon you, anticipate it and embrace it eagerly.If somebody is going to hit you and you can do nothing about it, then condition yourself to love being hit. Then he will not be inflicting pain, he will be doing you a favor.
In general population, instead of sitting seiza, the inmate works in factories on the prison ground. In the prison I was in, one of the factories did welding. Another of the factories shaped metal bars. Another manufactured plastic toys for Sanrio. There was one factory which did dry cleaning for officers of the Japanese Self Defense Forces.
During work hours, there is no talking. Come to think of it, talking is generally prohibited, except during chow time or in the showers.
In the factories, one must sit or stand in strictly enforced manner – good posture – and must not look side to side, up or down. The eyes must not stray from the work.
All walking is done in military “marching” style. Any causal walking is prohibited. There are strict degrees to which the legs and arms must reach when marching.
You might wonder how they maintain such order. At first glance, it would seem impossible. After all, the guards cannot force somebody to obey. They can only make rules, and if the inmates don’t obey, there’s little they can do.
There is of course some physical abuse. But how effective would it be to assault a convicted murderer who really has no qualms about inflicting pain in return? It isn’t effective, and the guards know it.
That’s why they don’t assault the inmate who is violating the rules. They assault somebody else, in full view of the inmate who violated the rule. Instead of assaulting me for my bad posture, they beat up an elderly guy and then asked me if I had learned my lesson. Indeed, I had. I would gladly take an assault or two, and probably fight back. In fact, I did assault a guard. But how can I in good conscience violate rules when I know some innocent fellow is going to take my beating for me?
I couldn’t.
Knowing how rules are enforced in Japanese prisons, it made me wonder what really happened in Nagoya Prison, where an inmate died after the guards put a high pressure fire hose up his buttocks and turned the water on.
Was the inmate being punished for his own actions, or was he being punished as a deterrent to somebody else? The guards, who were indicted, claim they were simply washing the inmate.