Low crime societies - Japan and Switzerland.

As you might know, or dont know, Japan and Switzerland have one of the lowest crime rates in the world, yet for most of Britain's legal system what we are doing is implementing American way of justice.

Why is this?

Japan for example is very conformed. In contrast with the Japanese, Westerners have idealized the concept of the independent individual, while or Japanese it is the ''society'' and ''collectivness''

In another words there is much conformity in Japan, as well as Switzerland. The concept of ''us'' is much more valued than the concept of ''I'' which is present in many western cultures.
The concept of family is really important.

For example, in Japan threatening your child wouldnt be ''curfu'' but expulsion from the family. There is still strong sense of family and honour - again, more of a ''we'' than ''I''

As a result, Japan has a very low crime rate. (alongside other factors of course)

So, the question that interests me here is, should the western world follow this pattern? Should we be more conformed and as a result have less crime?
Should we re-introduce the importance of ''we'' as opposed to the importance of just ''me'' and with that try and get those family and community values which west lacks - a lot in fact.

It is the question of making west Communitizated, ie. bring back that sense of comunity west lacks? (note - Communitization is not the same as communism!!!!)

Discuss.

I wanna live in Switzerland...that's where all the money launderers put their money, so the banks in Swiss must be loaded!

While i do agree that the amount of crime is a worry, and that moral standards are slipping somewhat with a lot of people, i'm not sure if giving up the things that make life worth living is the best way to go about it...

Asia is steeped in tradition (including Japan), a lot moreso than Europe and North America, but that is not always neccessarily a good thing... Such strict guidelines can be a hindrance to most, especially people who would still value their individuality... Diversity is a good thing imo...

I agree something needs to be done, but reverting to a 'we' society is not the answer imo...

Geez, you really think those are the main reasons for the apparent low Japanese crime rate?

Prove it! I have seen a heck of a lot of work saying it is their unbound and massively over-aggressive police force that does it.

I think the last thing any Western country wants to do is to try and adopt a Japanese model of legal policy.

It's because Japanese people don't have souls, which south park confirmed this week 😛

Originally posted by Ushgarak
I have seen a heck of a lot of work saying it is their unbound and massively over-aggressive police force that does it.

that is a huge factor also...

America is a land of immigrants(or so they say) so its all the immigrants fault that america has a high crime rate.

The reason you don't see much crime in Japan is because most of the criminal world is control by the local Yakuza's. Since there are different organized Yakuza's all over Japan and because of their traditional honor/respect for each other there is no gangwarfare. Thus crime is mininal. As for Switzerland? I dunno....I really don't know.

Originally posted by KidRock
America is a land of immigrants(or so they say) so its all the immigrants fault that america has a high crime rate.

I still think their virtually facistic legal system is the main reason

Just to make clear- there is no Jury system in Japan, and the chance of a defendant being acquitted is less than one percent.

In the mid-19th century, fearing the effects of western imperialism, Japan launched its own legal transformations which resulted in it importing Western Legal Codes and Systems but not their underlying culture and ethics. In effect, modern Japanese law imitates western legal systems - western legal systems were grafted onto a long-established culture, ethics and traditional morality. Japanese legal systems are Western in guise but Japanese in spirit. This historical fact had a great impact on Japanese legal culture. Generally speaking, the Japanese regard law as an instrument of constraint used by the government to control the people. This legal consciousness is probably derived from the foreign origin of much of Japanese law. Therefore, the Japanese have an antipathy to law and do not take law especially seriously. As a result,Japan has a 'dual' legal culture: two different types of norm. One applies in the case of dealing with acquaintances or members of the group to which the individual belongs. The other applies in the case of dealing with strangers or non-members of one’s group.

Everyone has a place in Japan and there is a place for everyone.

As a result, in the external world, one uses the law, appealing to one's right, when the law is of benefit to one. However, one has no interest in the law when the law does not benefit one, and one even ignores the law when the law burdens one. In short, one is free to use the law as one likes. Yet, at the same time, one knows that another is also free to use it. In this sense, individual rights in Japan are not to be respected and upheld, but to be used up. Several examples to illustrate this.

The Japanese tend to avoid open confrontations such as litigation in the internal world, namely between two neighbours, superior and subordinate, landlord and tenant, creditor and debtor, or husband and wife. However, in contrast, the Japanese are very willing to protest openly and even resort to litigation in the external world. Examples occur in the disputes of pollution victims and polluting firms, minorities and majority, or local residents and American military bases (Upham 1987). This makes it clear that the Japanese feel no hesitation is using the law in a range of ‘stranger’ contexts. Here is another familiar example: man Japanese will, no matter how tired they are, give up the train seat to their superior, yet will shove a stranger out of the way to take an empty seat. Many Japanese are little interested in laws concerning the human rights of foreigners, offenders or minorities; only a small number of Japanese are concerned with philanthropy and voluntary activity, whereas a large number of Japanese present expensive gifts twice a year to their superiors, employers or benefactors.

As for the cases where the Japanese ignore the law, regarding it as burdensome, many Japanese are fussy about dirt in the home and office, yet will cast away cigarette butts on platforms in train stations and leave litter on mountain trails; many Japanese will get out of a lift after their superior, yet will jump a queue.

In conclusion, the external world of strangers world is characterized by discontinuous involvement in estranged relationships and oriented by the legal culture of selfish rights.

A contrast with Western legal culture

As we have seen, the Japanese on the whole consider it quite natural that one's legal consciousness should vary depending on whether one deals with one's inner circle or with one's external world. Few Japanese consider it hypocritical or contradictory that one should be submissive within one's group world but arrogant outside it. In short, the double standard of behaviour is taken for granted in Japan. Equally, the Japanese have not established the ethic of the freedom of the individual. In other words, the Japanese seek security within their group identities rather than searching for individual autonomy.

In contrast with the Japanese, Westerners have idealized the concept of the independent individual. They regard individuality as important for the growth of human beings, and self-reliance as essential to self-realization (Smith 1983: 73) . For example, the well-known proverb 'God helps those who help themselves' can be understood as a warning against reliance on God or others. In contrast, the top three of the proverbs to which the Japanese white-collar workers pay attention in social life are 'Wake not a sleeping lion', 'The nail that sticks out gets banged down', and 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em' (Fukoku Life Insurance 1991: 35). These proverbs admonish the Japanese against individual self-assertion. In short, in the West, individual freedom is firmly established as a guarantee of the superiority of the individual over the group to which the individual belongs and it reminds us of the individual’s freedom of choice to join or leave groups. In Japan, by contrast, leaving a group would be unthinkable, a sign of betrayal and the individual would then be isolated, lacking social supports to gain re-entry to mainstream society.

Therefore, it can be said that the nature of the Japanese sense of shame is grief for temporary estrangement from the group as the source of 'ontological security'. Because of an infinite number of detailed rules, the Japanese are always worrying that they may not be following the rules and thus are opening themselves to criticism or ridicule by others. In other words the Japanese are always keenly sensitive to what others think of them. This self-consciousness or obsession with rules produces a lot of shame. In short, the feeling of finding oneself different in conduct and thus exposed to the eyes of others is the Japanese sense of shame.

In order to obliterate a sense of shame, that is, to be reintegrated into the group, the Japanese are willing to apologize. Apology is more appreciated than justification because the former is better for the restoration of 'vertical' order in the group. As a result, the Japanese become apologetic on the basis of calculation, a cost-benefit analysis. Since the Japanese frequently feel even trivial shame they offer an apology with much facility. Therefore, an apology itself is usually of little significance.

In contrast, in the case of feeling serious shame (e.g. committing crime), which is similar to a sense of guilt in the West, the Japanese must offer an incessant and intensive apology to avoid group exclusion. If they can indicate their genuine repentance, they will be reintegrated into the group. This is the only case of what Braithwaite (1989: 100-1) called 'reintegrative shaming'. However, if one's shameful conduct such as a crime is so serious as to shame the good name of the group to which one belongs, one will be exiled from the group. This is the self-cleansing action of the group. What is interesting here is that, as a means of differentiation of offenders, Japan adopts the deprivation of membership because of its emphasis on groups, whereas the West uses official stigmatization because of its emphasis on individuals.

As a result, the outcast must look for another group; otherwise he/she must become a lone wolf. What is worse, the lone offender must encounter people's coldness, hostility or contempt because he/she is a permanent resident in the world of strangers. Therefore, Japan is not a heaven for offenders in terms of rehabilitation because the reintegrative function of Japanese society is limited. Therefore, the most persuasive reason for Japan's low crime rate can be found in the nature of the society before, rather than after, a crime has been committed.

[Edited from N. Komiya: The Low Crime Rate in Japan, BJC Vol. 39, No. 3 Summer 1999.]

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Prove it! I have seen a heck of a lot of work saying it is their unbound and massively over-aggressive police force that does it.

Oh have you now?!

Oh please enlighten me with the book name chapter and an author and I shall look it up!

I have done the same for you above!!

England is just as steeped in tradition as Japan, it's just not as acknowledged and lived by.

I'd much rather living in a world where I've more chance and acceptance to be individual than one where I'm not.

Yeah, the crime rate is higher but that accounts for other people, is nothing to do with me. As it should be. Japan feel like they have to all represent their country with the way they act, hence why the policing is so aggressive. I'm not responsible for others and I'm not gonna dull my life down just to represent land.

-AC

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
hence why the policing is so aggressive. I'm not responsible for others and I'm not gonna dull my life down just to represent land.

Policing?

Have you read the abstract I posted few posts up?

Yes, I did.

I also noted the '1999' at the bottom.

-AC

They had always had been poor have it they?jm

maybe its because there are few guns unlike the north America, which is gun friendly at least ! "open a bank account and get a free rifle" That was so funny from bowling from Columbine!

Could be, but check out this on Switzerland - it deals with guns too -

Taken from M. Clinard. Cities with Little Crime 1978.

Switzerland is a small but prosperous, Western, highly industrialised and urbanised country with a population between 7-8 million (1 million of whom are foreign workers). North to South is 117 miles, East to West just over 200. But in this small country there are 3 relatively distinct cultural identities - French, German and Italian. There is significant cultural diversity for such a small country. Internationally, however, Switzerland bucks an international trend by virtue of its historically low crime rate. On the whole affluent, Western, urban industrial societies, especially those which are culturally diverse, tend to have high crime rates. Clinard’s book explores why this might be the case.

Some contextual factors:

Firearms are widely available to the civilian population (a carry-over from the military service system still operating, former militia are allowed to keep their rifles on leaving military service)

Swiss society is generally regarded as polite, civilised, orderly, well-regulated, and conservative

The Criminal Justice system is seen as largely lenient, not harsh or punitive compared to UK and USA standards.

Arrests are rare - police operate a citation system. Offenders ‘required to report’.

Relatively short sentencing, low incarceration rate (sentences seldom exceed 12 months and creative use of early release.

Politically consensual - but Patriarchal, women only gained the vote in 1971. Decentralised Federal system operates, 21 self-governing Cantons.

Finance, chemicals, tourism.

Traditionally, very strong work ethic. Low unemployment (masculine labour market) work as duty - but high standard of living. Significantly lower SoL (but also markedly lower aspirations) for approx 1 million ‘guest workers’

Generally positive attitudes towards the police (like the UK’s ‘golden age’)

Some tendency to attribute crime to ‘foreigners’

Low (but growing) significance of the crime question

Clinard noted that crime problems had remarkably low salience in Switzerland. Less than 1% of Swiss newspaper stories featured crime whereas it was reflected in 6% of news stories in Sweden, 8% in France, over 10% in the UK and 18% in the USA. Likewise ‘fear of crime’ (fear, risk, public safety concerns) now reaching epidemic proportions in large parts of the western world was only the 9th priority for the Swiss (behind traffic, housing, the environment, youth problems, education, tax, trade unions, and energy). During the 1970s, there were growing concerns about illegal drug use amongst young people and new laws were introduced in 1975. (see below)

Even so, while crime rates were traditionally and, by international standards, very low there were the beginnings of a political concern that crime did appear to be rising.

Nevertheless:

“Measured by government reports, questions and debates in the Federal Parliament, a survey of attitudes to crime in Zurich, interviews with well-informed persons and a review of news reporting in the daily press, crime does not appear a major problem in Switzerland.” (Clinard, p.32)

Because crime has traditionally not been seen as a major priority there has only been limited official scrutiny of Swiss crime trends. However, one study covering the period 1959-1970 examined the rate of increase of crime in a range of West-European societies:

Country % increase in crime during 1959-1970

France 86
Denmark 62
Holland 61
Eng & Wales 55
Scotland 34
W. Germany 30
Italy 30
Finland 30
Norway 29
Sweden 24
Austria 21
Luxembourg 11
Switzerland 3.5

Patterns of Victimisation in 4 cities (Zurich Stuttgart Denver Portland)

victimisation rate per 1,000 households

Burglary 83 96 158 151

Vehicle Theft 10 23 44 34

Assault 25 15 47 40

Robbery 10 22 18 17

Theft from person 58 92 134 123

Swiss: youth and drug culture

Clinard argues that the drug problem ‘came late to Switzerland’ but that drugs were seen primarily as youth culture and resistance issues rather than as, first and foremost, a crime question.

Even so, facing such concerns, the Swiss responded with significantly tougher penalties and during 1970-78 there was a 4-5,000 % increase in drug posession offences. Swift growth from a low base. The drug culture amongst youth was largely seen as a form of cultural resistance by young people to the conservative, traditional, bourgeois conformist culture of adult society.

“Informed commentators suggest that Swiss youth use drugs increasingly as a protest against the more conservative adult society, much in the same way as the change their hair and dress styles. Although young people would not generally steal from one another, as this would harm someone, they believe the use of drugs is a personal decision.” (Clinard, p.45)

Crime rates appeared to be falling for those aged over 30, but increasing for those under 29.

Hidden and White Collar Criminality

Strong international finance and banking empire in Switzerland. Reflects and reinforces a strong money-making ethic.

In Switzerland... “economic success is highly esteemed and this might account for the fairly tolerant attitudes towards moral and ethical standards in business and finance. People expect a certain amount of deception and exploitation without demanding criminal sanctions... an attitude prevails that white-collar crime does not require social outlawry and it is looked upon as a sort of national sport.” (Clinard, p.84)

Makling money is highly esteemed but stealing it directly remains very disapproved of. Anti-social acts by business organisations or corporations are not strongly criminalised. Commercial crime is looked upon fairly tolerantly as a kind of fast but risky business.

“In contrast to ‘ordinary crime’, crime in business and finance appears to be extensive (this reflects the central place of finance and banking in the Swiss economy) and appears due to the greater tolerance of these activities by the Swiss public, the bank secrecy laws, and the difficulty of proceeding against complex fraud cases... A wholly more tolerant and compliant attitude permeates the whole of banking and finance regarding white-collar business crime. It is seen much more as an aspect of business.”

Bank secrecy laws and ‘dirty money’ : traditionally the laws (an aspect of the constitution regarding financial privacy) granted anonymity to depositors and account-holders. This made Swiss banks a very favourable haven for money laundering, smuggling, illegal profits and tax avoidance. During WW2 the Swiss banking haven was seen as useful for those seeking to escape and protect their fortunes from totalitarian regimes, but at the end of the war (and since) Swiss banks became a haven for Nazi gold.
Industry in Switzerland is smaller scale, localised and decentralised, there are no old industrial districts, no large 19th century industrial conurbations and now, no slums, ghettos or ‘deprived regions’

Swiss Criminal Justice System.

Wide use of ‘alternatives to custody’ employed (diversion) and, in particular a large scale use of ‘suspended sentences’. Swiss imprisonment rate is similar to that of Holland.

Rates of imprisonment 1972

First figure = Rate per 1,000
Second Figure = % of prison pop. imprisoned less than 12 months

Switzerland 43 75
Sweden 61
W. Germany 84
Eng & Wales 72 22
Denmark 70
Belgium 60
France 59
Norway 37 38
Holland 22

Swiss prisons are typically smaller, less crowded, with better regimes, more widespread and more effective education and training provision, low security risks, informal atmosphere, no real inmate sub-culture. Even so, they still experience fairly high recidivism rates after prison (50-70%) which is on a par with other countries but is accounted for by the fact that the Swiss tend to send offenders to prison rather later in their criminal careers, so by the time offenders reach prison in Switzerland they tend, already, to be pretty confirmed and persistent offenders, with a significant criminal record.

Youth culture and social destabilisation

No real youth gang culture, but a growing alternative youth ‘protest’ movement. Noticeable absence of public vandalism. Some early indications of diminishing family and community bonds - with criminal consequences. Nevertheless still much greater conservative conformity evident.

“Youth in Switzerland present a rather calm, conformist and peaceful image when one compares them with the more explosive actions of youth in other countries.” (Clinard, p.130)

There is more emphasis upon inter-generational communication, citizen obligations, tradition, formality, strong (patriarchal) family structures. There is an absence of serious socio-political conflicts, race conflicts or major class-cultural divisions. There is a strong patrichal family system - the Swiss tend to marry young and few Swiss women have traditionally worked in paid employment after the birth of children.

“For the most part, the Swiss woman is a homemaker who supervises the children and the household yet remains subservient to her husband in questions of education and discipline. Switzerland has the smallest percentage of married women working of all the industrialised countries of the Western world.”

Family and community structures appear to have undrgone less change than those of similar affluent societies. There is not the same ‘angry youth’ culture.

Military Service

All young men are required to undertake militia service. This is said to divert their energies, train them in responsibility - including exercise and fitness, obedience, shooting and personal condfidence and responsibility. Militia service... “has served to inhibit the age separation, alienation, and growth of a separate youth culture as has become characteristic of other societies (UK, USA etc..) Although such factors represent only one aspect of the total Swiss way of life, they play no small part in the low crime rate and crime trend.” (Clinard, p.135)

Training with firearms teaches responsibility and disciplines the man. Militia service keeps potentially wayward young men off the streets and joins them to broader traditions and social purposes.

Foreign Workers

Evidence of overt discrimination difficult to find and little sign of explicit racism, therefore only limited race-cultural reaction. Employment levels, standard of living, payment are all inferior to those of the native Swiss population, but markedly better than achieved by guest workers in many other countries. As a result there tends to be a more accepting attitude on the part of guest workers regarding their place in the socio-economic system, no real ghettos, deprived areas or criminal sub-cultures. There seems a reasonabler faith in economic advancement by legitimate means - ie: no crimogenic social strains.

OVERALL ISSUES:

Nature of the urbanisation process
low unemployment
citizen relations to government
firearms access but within disciplined culture & training
Militia system for young adults
low rates of violence
tolerant CJS, minimum use of custody, creative community sentencing, diversion
lack of an oppositional youth culture
inclusive affluence
absence of major social divisions, no slums, no class culture
little racial tension, little racism
tolerance regarding crime, little fear of crime
large scale de facto decriminalisation of ‘economic malpractices’
pro-police
non-gehttoisation of foreign workers
consent, faith in legitimate economic advancement
strong family system/relatively clear gender roles.

What does Clinard think the USA can learn from the Swiss?

Notwithstanding his view that you cannot just ‘cherry pick’ from another culture, there do seem some ideas that the USA could think about.

1. Crime rates are not really about individual or personality factors, but driven by cultural or social patterns and processes. Investing in psychological adjustment processes seems fairly pointless in a mass crimogenic culture.

2. Poverty and deprivation platy a significant part - but not alone.

3. Large scale conurbations should be dispersed (especially problematic are declining ones) larger cities generally have higher crime rates.

4. Localisation and ecouraging community responsibility by devolving power and resources are a better way of promoting community renewal and tackling the issues leading to crime

5. Strategies to avoid the alienation of youth are vital (especially in race/class contexts and where there are segregated job markets and where training, work or opportunities are scarce

6. Less coercive, less stigmatising, criminal justice systems appear more effective than punitive, coercive, retributive or denunciatory ones.

7. Access to guns is widespread but a propensity to use them illegally is not. Licensing and registration arrangements play a valuable public safety and crime prevention role. Firearms are accessed via military processes and training, not on the basis of the free market ( = discipline, training, safety, experience and responsibility).

8. Clearer and more uniform criminal code, procedural justice, no plea bargaining.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
Yes, I did.

I also noted the '1999' at the bottom.

-AC

How much do you know about Japanese culture, and if a lot, then I challange you to provide me with evidence of sagnificant Japanese culture shift from 1999 to 2005.