'Love letters' reduce recidivism among teens

The Yomiuri Shimbun

"Love letters" sent by police to delinquent teenagers have proved successful in opening up their minds and encouraging them not to reoffend.

Since April last year, letters have been sent to about 100 boys and girls arrested for criminal offenses or held in police custody in areas under the jurisdiction of Morioka Higashi Police Station of the Iwate prefectural police.

Named "Ai no Reta," they are written by four female police officers who belong to the station's Community Safety Section. The number of letters written over the period has topped 130.

In the process of exchanging letters with the teenagers, the section has received letters from some of the boys saying, "I'm so happy when I read the letters, I feel close to tears."

The recidivism rate so far this year in the areas under the jurisdiction of the police station has dropped to one-third of the corresponding period last year.

With the central part of Morioka under its jurisdiction, the police station had seen a high recidivism rate of juvenile delinquency before the "letter campaign" was launched.

To ensure recipients of the letters do not feel wary about the letters, the name of the sender is not written on the envelopes. The end of each letter itself is signed "From all those at Morioka Higashi Police Station."

One girl who was held in custody in the summer of last year after repeatedly running away from home sent a reply to a female police officer with whom she exchanged letters over a period of about one year, saying, "I really regret how stupid I used to be."

When the female officer sent a letter to the girl for the first time on her birthday in October last year, she sent back a reply full of complaints about school and the people around her. "I've no energy" and "I've no intention whatsoever of trying to understand the feelings of my mother" were among the comments she wrote. Among all the harsh language used by the girl, the officer sensed her loneliness and continued to send letters to the girl.

The officer has continued corresponding with the girl, who went on to express her difficulties in adjusting to a new environment after moving out of the prefecture. The officer told the girl, "It's OK to cry when you feel sad or things seem hard." As their correspondence continued, the girl started to use gentler language and some polite language. She eventually acknowledged that she did actually want to live with her mother after all.

The recidivism rate by boys in areas under the jurisdiction of Morioka Higashi Police Station dropped to 7 percent in the January-October period this year, down drastically from 21 percent recorded in the same period last year. The 7 percent figure is far below the national average of 30 percent for last year.

The female police officer who exchanged letters with the girl said: "I also felt lonely at school, but I was able to overcome the feeling because of the support of the people around me. It's good if we can accept and understand their loneliness even a little."

(Nov. 20, 2007)