By Lee Jon-young

 

October 28, 2023 will be the 78th Corrections Day. It is a statutory anniversary commemorating the reclaiming of correctional work from the Japanese Empire and the start of independent correctional administration, and is a day to encourage the hard work of correctional officials and others involved in correction and to recognize the true meaning of correction.

 

  On the occasion of the 78th Corrections Day, the Diplomacy Journal held an exclusive interview with Kim Dong-hyun, the head of the Gwangju Regional Correctional Service, about the meaning of corrections and the way forward.

 

 

 Kim Dong-hyun, the head of the Gwangju Regional Correctional Service, is an expert in the field of corrections who entered the public service in 1998 after passing the state-run administrative exam, and for more than 25 years has served in major positions at the Ministry of Justice, including the head of the Classification and Review Division, the head of the Security Division, and the head of the Correctional Training Division at the Korea Institute of Justice, and has taken the lead in promoting major policies and institutional improvements related to corrections, including receiving a doctorate on the topic of "Study on scientizing the treatment of offenders.”

 

Question: Congratulations on the 78th Corrections Day. First, please introduce correctional officers. We would also like to extend our congratulations and gratitude to the correctional officers and correctional board members who work tirelessly in correctional facilities and communities.

 

Answer: Our correctional officers are part of the Ministry of Justice's Corrections Division and are responsible for executing the sentences of inmates who have been sentenced to restrict physical freedom and for rehabilitating and reintegrating them into society. 

  To this end, we ensure the safety and treatment of inmates in various fields such as education, vocational training, psychotherapy, and medical care, and help them build a future through various rehabilitation programs, and become experts who take the lead in changing times and give hope to inmates through modernized correctional policies.

Q: What are your thoughts on the Corrections Day?

 

A: As Corrections Day has just celebrated its 78th anniversary, there have been many developments in corrections over the years. Correctional administration has changed from simply isolating criminals to correcting and rehabilitating inmates and preventing recidivism. In line with this paradigm shift, we are strengthening inmates' education and providing vocational training to support their character change and smooth social settlement.

  In addition, we have improved the treatment of inmates by overhauling the system and modernizing facilities to ensure their human rights in accordance with the needs of the times.

 

  These changes were made possible thanks to the correctional officials who are quietly fulfilling their duties and the correctional commissioners who have given a touch of hope to the inmates, and we will continue to strive for a fair and warm correctional administration that enables inmates to become healthy members of society.

Q: Please tell us about your achievements since your appointment.

 

A: It has been about a year since I was appointed as the head of the Gwangju Regional Correctional Service on September 26 last year. Since my appointment, I have established a special judicial police team to handle criminal law violations, such as violations of discipline in correctional facilities and assaults on staff by inmates, to establish law and order and protect the human rights of inmates and correctional officials. 

 

  By encouraging inmates to acquire specialized skills and study, a total of 8 inmates (1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, 1 excellent, and 3 encouraged) won excellent results at the National Skills Competition in 2023, and a total of 18 inmates (6 gold, 4 silver, 7 bronze, and 1 encouraged) won excellent results at the Regional Skills Competition, and about 60 inmates passed the school qualification exam.

 

  We organized the Correctional Work Exhibition (Oct. 26.~Oct. 28), which showcased correctional work products and literary works that inmates had developed in the correctional facility, to improve inmates' skills and promote cooperation with the community.
  
  In addition, we support the proper growth of inmates' children by mentoring about 60 inmates' children from 40 families who are experiencing economic and psychological difficulties due to their parents' incarceration in correctional facilities, providing emergency living expenses and connecting them with the welfare system.

 

  We have improved employee welfare by signing business agreements with hotels and resorts and large hospitals in the local community to relieve job-related stress and maintain health.

 

 We will continue to strive to improve the smooth resocialization of inmates and the treatment of correctional officers without being satisfied with our current achievements.

Q: How effective are correctional and rehabilitation programs in preventing recidivism?

 

A: Over the past 10 years, the total number of crimes in Korea has decreased by 20.8%, from 1.93 million in 2012 to 1.53 million in 2021, and by 10.7% compared to 2021. 

  On the other hand, sexual violence crimes and drug crimes increased by 40.8% and 74.5%, respectively, compared to 2012, so there is an urgent need to prevent recidivism and much attention is being paid to correctional and rehabilitation programs in prisons.

 

  In our correctional system, we have expanded recidivism prevention facilities such as classification centers and psychotherapy centers for inmates with high risk of recidivism, including sexual violence crimes, drug-related crimes, and abnormal psychological crimes due to mental illness, and actively implemented classification and psychotherapy programs for them.

 

  As a result, the recidivism rate within three years of release from prison was 23.8% in 2022, with approximately 77 out of every 100 prisoners not reoffending, and in the case of sexual assault offenders, inmates who received psychotherapy programs were 29% less likely to reoffend than those who did not, proving the positive effects of psychotherapy in correctional facilities.
  
  However, in order to further reduce the current recidivism rate, correctional facilities should continue to promote the recidivism prevention treatment programs they are implementing, and after release, use local private resources such as volunteers and religious organizations to link treatment in the facility with management in society, and restore the social relationships of inmates at home, work, etc.

Q: What are the current issues of the Gwangju Regional Correctional Service?

 

 A: There is an urgent need to establish a detention center for pretrial inmates in Gwangju and Jeonnam regions. Currently, prisons serve as detention centers, but in the case of Gwangju Prison, pretrial inmates account for half of the prison's capacity, causing overcrowding that reaches 120% of capacity.

 

  In addition, there are many difficulties in properly treating pretrial inmates, protecting their human rights, and conducting smooth trials as they are presumed innocent.

 

  The Gwangju Regional Correctional Service has been emphasizing the need for a new detention center since 2010 and has been systematically promoting it through inter-agency business consultations. However, although the project is currently in limbo, it is expected that the new detention center will ease the overcrowding of prisons and improve the treatment of pretrial inmates, while also revitalizing the local economy and creating jobs through the increase of correctional officials and citizens.

Q: Despite your busy schedule, I heard that you have been actively engaged in volunteer activities to the extent that you were awarded the "Korea Social Contribution Award".

 

A: When I was studying at a university in Seoul, I had to combine my work and studies by delivering newspapers early in the morning. While delivering newspapers in the bitterly cold wind, I received warm gloves and an encouraging letter from a neighbor who said, "It's good to see you working hard." I couldn't forget my gratitude and started volunteering with the idea that I would return the love I received to my neighbors when I have the chance.
 
   To fulfill this promise, I volunteered to donate blood, served as a steering committee member of the Hansen Relief Society, sponsored meals for boy and girl breadwinners, produced books for the visually impaired, and sponsored scholarships for the community, and was awarded the 2014 Sharing Service Award and the 15th Korea Social Contribution Award in 2020. 

 

  My spouse also volunteered for the '88 Olympics, and has continued to volunteer for organizations such as the developmentally disabled and suicide prevention lifeguard activities, and was selected as a "Seoul Outstanding Volunteer" in 2023.

 

  Through my volunteer work, which I started with the intention of returning the love I received to my neighbors, I realized that I am the one who gets the energy and comfort to live, and I plan to continue my volunteer work to share warm love with my neighbors and create a society that lives together.

Q: Do you have any final thoughts?

 

A: It is thanks to the warm interest and cooperation of not only correctional officials but also volunteers and citizens that correctional facilities have been able to fulfill their roles for so long.

 

  Inmates housed in correctional facilities are our neighbors who will return to society, and in order for them to become healthy members of society, they need correctional rehabilitation through re-education and continued support and attention from society.

 

  With the mindset that correctional officers are the last bastion of the social safety net, we will continue to strive to ensure that inmates can dream of tomorrow in a harmonious balance of order and human rights.

 

  We wish each family happiness as we welcome a beautiful and prosperous fall.