Gender Differences in Abusive Parenting among Incarcerated Parents in Japan

• Author: Ayako Sasaki,Akemi Mochizuki,Daiki Yoshihara
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00328855221139865
• Published date: 01 January 2023
• Date: 01 January 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

Gender Differences in

Abusive Parenting

among Incarcerated

Parents in Japan

Ayako Sasaki

1

, Akemi Mochizuki

2

,

and Daiki Yoshihara

3

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence and risk factors of abusive parenting

among the incarcerated population in Japan. Using a national survey of incar-

cerated parents (95 women and 79 men), the results showed that incarcer-

ated mothers are at greater risk of abusive parenting and that childhood

abuse history predicted abusive parenting for mothers but not for fathers.

On the other hand, intimate partners’parental attitudes impacted the abu-

sive parenting of both incarcerated mothers and fathers, but differed by gen-

der. Special attention was given to gender differences throughout the study,

aiming to guide gender-responsive parenting programs in correctional

settings.

Keywords

incarcerated parents, abusive parenting, childhood abuse history, intimate

partner, gender

1

Saitama Juvenile Classif‌ication Home, Saitama, Japan

2

Otemae University, Hyogo, Japan

3

United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of

Offenders, Tokyo, Japan

Corresponding Author:

Ayako Sasaki, Saitama Juvenile Classif‌ication Home, 3-16-36 Takasago, Urawaku Saitama-shi,

Saitama 330-0063, Japan.

Email: mickeym_3oct@hotmail.com

Article

The Prison Journal

2023, Vol. 103(1) 45–67

© 2022 SAGE Publications

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00328855221139865

journals.sagepub.com/home/tpj

Introduction

With the increasing number of child abuse incidents, especially the horrif‌ic

and fatal incidents occurring in Japan, child abuse has been at the forefront

of public attention. In Japan, child abuse is prohibited by the Act on the

Prevention, etc., of Child Abuse and Child Guidance Centers located in

each prefecture and designated city offer consultations and receive reports

of child abuse incidents. According to the statistics of the Ministry of

Health, Labour and Welfare (2021), the number of consultations about

child abuse incidents received at the Child Guidance Centers has climbed

to a record high of 193,780 cases in 2019, which is 4.5 times greater than

2008 (42,664 cases). Yet, according to the White Paper on Crime 2020

(Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice [RTI], 2020),

only 1,972 child abuse cases were cleared in 2019. Historically, child abuse

has rarely been treated as a criminal justice matter in Japan, based on the

notion that off‌icial intervention should be excluded from the private sphere

of family matters, unless the abuse is fatal. This explains why a considerable

number of child abuse incidents are likely to remain unreported (Iwai &

Miyazono, 1996; RTI, 2007).

With respect to perpetrators’gender, off‌icial statistics suggest that severe

child abuse incidents requiring the involvement of the criminal justice system

are mostly perpetrated by fathers, but the gender gap narrows or reverses

when less serious child abuse incidents are reviewed. According to the

White Paper on Crime 2020 (RTI, 2020), the number of persons arrested

because of the violation of the Act on the Prevention, etc., of Child Abuse

was 2,024 in 2019, of which 71.5% were perpetrated by fathers and 28.5%

by mothers. Exceptionally, homicide as a result of child abuse or guardians’

abandonment causing death, including double suicide and infanticide, were

largely committed by mothers (78.0% of the homicide cases and 68.8% of

the negligence as guardian cases), but those persons are a very small

portion of the total perpetrators (4.1% and 1.6% of the total, respectively).

Turning to national statistics compiled through reports to the Child

Guidance Center, the gender ratio of the parents who abuse their children

appears to be almost equal (47.5% mothers and 46.8% fathers) in 2017

(Ministry of Health, Work and Labour, 2019). Moreover, when it comes to

the abuse cases reported to municipalities that handle less serious cases, the

proportion of mothers as perpetrators of child abuse increases considerably

to 60.2%, compared to 35.1% for fathers in 2017 (Ministry of Health,

Work and Labour, 2019). It is suggested that abuse by mothers tends to

involve less severe forms of abuse and, therefore, may be hidden inside the

home and be more prevalent in their daily lives compared with fathers.

46 The Prison Journal 103(1)