Promoting community-based social work for justice-involved people with mental illness in Japan

This chapter aims to provide an overview of the development of criminal justice social work in Japan since the early 2000s and discuss issues that may influence social workers’ practice in advancing community-based mental health services for justice-involved people. Specifically, it will help (1) understand the issues that may help identify the essential areas and gaps in social work research and practice at the intersection of criminal justice and mental health services; (2) explore the challenges social workers face in collaborating with clients, other professionals, and various stakeholders within and across different care systems; and (3) identify and compare the development of community-based social work to meet the unique needs of justice-involved people in different historical and social contexts in Japan and other countries.