【特集】少年院で20歳に「振り返ると後悔ばかり」両親への言葉で語る 悔恨と決意：新潟少年学院の在院生を取材【新潟】スーパーJにいがた3月13日OA

Juvenile detention centers are facilities that house and provide correctional education to minors who have committed crimes. Some of these individuals turn twenty while in these centers. What are their thoughts as they confront the crimes they committed and strive for rehabilitation? We interviewed young people at Niigata Juvenile Academy in Nagaoka City about their "thoughts at twenty." "My resolve at twenty. Looking back on my life now, I have nothing but regrets. When it was decided that I would be sent to this juvenile detention center, I saw it as my last chance to change myself, and I'm living my life without running away from what I need to do. I want to contribute to society more than I have caused so much trouble to so many people, and become a person who can repay that kindness." Niigata Juvenile Academy in Nagaoka City. As of March 4th, 53 boys aged 16 to 20, who were referred by the family court as a protective measure, are housed here. Basically, they receive correctional education for 11 months, including classes for the high school equivalency exam and vocational guidance, to support their reintegration into society. ■Kushi (pseudonym, 19) "I'm turning 20 this year." Kushi, 19 years old. He will be hospitalized in May 2025 and will turn 20 in juvenile detention. ■ Hisashi (pseudonym, 19) "Before entering juvenile detention, I was involved in delinquent activities with friends, such as theft and drugs. We stole quite a lot of brand-name goods and motorcycles from shopping malls." He and a friend had been repeatedly committing theft since his first year of high school. ■ Hisashi (pseudonym, 19) "I was working because my money was disappearing due to drugs, but in the end, my lifestyle deteriorated because of drugs, so I quit my job and stole to make money, which became a bad habit." He was earning over 200,000 yen a month from part-time jobs, but he says he spent it all on drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. He was once dedicated to soccer and aimed to become a professional player. ■Kushi (pseudonym, 19) "I think I come from a normal family. I had a big dream, but after giving up on that dream, I started having more fun with my friends. I argued with my parents almost every day, and I hardly ever went home, so I hardly spoke to them." Here, there's also a boy who became involved in special fraud. ■Atsushi (pseudonym, 18) "I came here because of fraud. It's the 'It's me' scam, targeting elderly people." Atsushi started participating in fraud around the age of 15, introduced by a local friend, as a "receiver" receiving cash and a "cash withdrawer" withdrawing cash using a cash card. ■Atsushi (pseudonym, 18) "I thought it would be fun to wait at a train station somewhere and go when an address came in. I was a middle school student and couldn't get a part-time job, but I was going out at night and needed money to play. My parents wouldn't find out, and they said there was a job I could do even though I was a minor, so I went along with the tempting offer." He said he was living separately from his family and needed money for living expenses. The method used to deceive the victim was as follows: ■Atsushi (pseudonym, 18) "I went to the victim's house pretending to be the 'son of a doctor,' and claimed that 'my second son is ill and we need money for surgery.'" He swindled 5 million yen from an elderly woman. He also received 10 million yen as a money mule on one occasion, but Atsushi didn't receive a single yen. ■Atsushi (pseudonym, 18) "I really wasn't thinking about anything. I was just wondering how much of this money I would get if I swindled them. 5 million yen sounds like a lot, but it felt surprisingly light when I held it. I was acting under orders, so I resigned myself to the fact that I had no choice." Regarding the victims: ■Atsushi (pseudonym, 18) "I deeply regret getting involved in fraud so easily; it's an irreparable mistake. I can't directly repay the victims, but I don't want to forget my guilt." Every year, Niigata Juvenile Academy holds a "Celebration of Turning 20" for inmates who turn 20 around the same time as the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. ■Niigata Juvenile Academy, Akihito Kujou "By publicly announcing and conveying their resolutions for when they become adults, they organize their own thoughts. The purpose of this event is to instill in them an awareness of how they want to live their lives and what kind of adults they want to become." ■Hisashi (pseudonym, 19) "The thought that I wouldn't be able to attend the coming-of-age ceremony after being sent to the juvenile detention center was always in the back of my mind. While I wanted to attend the ceremony in society, I also felt that this was atonement for the bad things I'd done." After his time in the juvenile detention center, Hisashi developed new goals. ■Hisashi (pseudonym, 19) "I've found a job, and I've also set a goal to start playing sports again. My biggest goal is to balance both and pursu...