Assessing the Good Lives Model in the Japanese Context: Findings from the Primary Human Goods Survey of Incarcerated People and General Population in Japan

Offender rehabilitation is of public and political importance in Japan. The Good Lives Model (GLM) and risk need responsivity (RNR) are the most influential frameworks used to support offender rehabilitation. However, the GLM has had a negligible impact on practice in Japan despite its importance being broadly understood. We conducted this preliminary study using two surveys—one with 133 inmates and one with 133 members of the general public—to assess the GLM’s applicability in Japan. The following questions were used with both groups: To what extent do the Japanese people pursue primary human goods (PHGs), and how does that differ between the general population and prison inmates? Has attaining PHGs been more difficult for prison inmates compared to the general population? The responses were analysed after adjusting for demographic data. The findings indicate that (1) in Japan, both inmates and the general public pursued PHGs, although the importance of all PHGs was significantly higher for inmates; (2) prison inmates had significantly greater difficulty than the general public in attaining certain PHGs in the past; and (3) the importance of future PHGs was significantly higher for all PHGs for inmates than for the general public. These results suggested that the premise of the GLM is relevant in Japan.