原作者：

来源Japanese prisons face swelling elderly population
译者lvhan

ONOMICHI —

Handrails run down the middle of the hallway to help prisoners make their way from one end to the other. Adult diapers are neatly stacked in a corner. When an inmate chokes on his rice and coughs, a supervisor rushes over to rub his back.

走廊（廊壁）上的扶手一直延伸到尽头，这些扶手用来帮助犯人从一头走到另一头。成人尿布整齐的叠放在角落里。当一名犯人因吃米饭呛住而咳嗽的时候，狱监急忙赶过去轻揉他的背部。

Welcome to the world of old-age prisons. population is aging in Japan faster than anywhere else, and with that has come an even sharper rise in elderly inmates.

欢迎来到老年监狱的世界。日本老龄化的速度比其他任何地方都要快，而老年囚犯增长速度更快。 

The number of Japanese prisoners aged 60 or older has doubled during the past decade to more than 10,000. That outpaces a 30% increase in the general population for that age group. The elderly now represent 16% of the nation’s inmates.

日本60岁以上（含60岁）的犯人数量在过去十年里增长了一倍，已超过1万人。这比老年人口在总人口中的增长比率还快30%。老年人现在占全国犯人总数的16%。

Though Japan’s crime rate remains relatively low, the spike in elderly crime is another sign of the social and economic strains on the once-confident country.

虽然日本的犯罪率仍然较低，但老年犯罪的快速增多仍是这个曾经自信满满的国家（目前）社会压力和经济压力的另一种迹象。

An entire floor has been converted into a pilot geriatric ward at Onomichi Prison, near Hiroshima. The government also has invested $100 million to build larger facilities at three other prisons around the country, and more are planned.

广岛附近的尾道监狱整一层楼都已经被改造成一个老年病房实验点。政府还在全国其他三个监狱内投资了1亿美元以建造更大的设施，同时还打算再多建些。

Most of the inmates have been convicted of shoplifting and theft, reflecting the financial pressures and lack of family support facing many older Japanese amid a lengthy economic slump and fraying social cohesion.

这里大部分囚犯都是因商店行窃或盗窃而被定罪的，这反映了在漫长的经济低迷期和逐渐瓦解的社会凝聚力之下，老年人所面对的财务压力和家庭关爱的匮乏。

About half are repeat offenders, including some who steal to get caught and return to the relative security of prison, where at least shelter, if Spartan, and three meals a day, as well as a twice-weekly bath, are guaranteed.

大约一半人都是二进宫，其中一些人偷盗只是为了重回这座相对安全点的监狱，这至少是个风雨棚，虽然这规矩严格，一天三顿饭，一周洗两次澡，但（这种生活）起码有保证。

“I’m already an old man, and the economy is bad out there,” a nearly 70-year-old inmate told The Associated Press, which was granted a rare tour of a Japanese prison.

在一次罕有的日本监狱参观活动中，一名年近七旬的老犯人告诉美联社记者：“我已经是个老头了，经济条件也很糟糕”。

His 3 1/2-year sentence for attempted robbery ends in April, and the prospect of going free fills him with more dread than joy.

他因企图抢劫被判3年半，刑期到4月份终止，而想到他获释后的未来，他就觉得恐惧大过欢乐。

“I’m worried that there would be no work for someone like me,” he said, adding that he worries his younger brother may shun him. Prison rules forbid using his name and exact age.

“我担心我这样的人找不到工作。”他说道。同时他也表示他的弟弟可能会回避他，监狱规定禁止公布他的姓名和确切年龄。

Another factor is that longer sentences are being handed out. Also, elderly inmates without family or community ties have virtually no chance of parole, which is granted only for those with a reliable guardian.

另一个原因是长刑犯都需要搀扶。此外，没有家庭或者社会关系的老年犯人几乎没有假释的机会，虽然假释只需要一名可靠的监护人。

“The number of senior inmates has been surging, and there is no sign of decrease,” said Koki Maezawa, a Justice Ministry official in charge of prison services. “It’s a serious problem that the entire society must tackle so that offenders don’t keep coming back to prison once they get out.”

一名司法部负责监狱服务工作的官员宫吉前泽表示：“老年犯人的数量正在激增，而且没有减缓的迹象。”“这是个严重的问题，全社会都得一同解决，让犯人在出狱后不会再次被送回监狱。”

The graying of the prison population is not unique to Japan, although it is happening faster here than in other countries, according to the Justice Ministry.

司法部称,虽然（日本）监狱囚犯老龄化的趋势比其他国家更快，但这个问题并不是日本特有的。

In the United States, the number of inmates age 55 and older in state and federal prisons grew 76% between 1999 and 2008, from 43,300 to 76,400, according to the Justice Department. The overall prison population rose by a smaller 18%. Those age 60 or older numbered 35,900, or 2.3% of the total, a much smaller proportion than in Japan.

据司法部表示，在1999年到2008年之间，美国联邦监狱和州监狱中55岁以上的犯人增加了76%，从43300人增加到76400人。而同期狱中总人数只相对略增了18%。60岁以上犯人数量为35900人，占总人数的2.3%，远低于日本的比例。

The U.S. growth is in part a legacy of laws that mandated harsher sentences or abolished parole, keeping convicts in prison into old age. It has strained government budgets, because of the higher health care costs for elderly inmates.

美国（老年犯）增长（较慢）一定程度上应归于法律传统，即更加严厉的判决同时取消假释，让囚犯在狱中步入老年。这对政府的预算也构成了压力，因为老年犯人需要更高的健康护理预算。

Several states, including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina and Ohio, have geriatric prisons or wards. Other countries, including Germany and Britain, have special wings for elderly inmates, and Switzerland is building a similar facility.

包括弗吉尼亚、宾夕法尼亚、路易斯安那、北卡罗莱纳和俄亥俄在内的许多州都有老年人狱房或病房。包括德国、英国在内的其他国家，老年犯人都会有特别照顾，瑞士也正在修建一个类似的设施。

Here at Onomichi Prison, the hallways use ramps, not steps, and prisoners are allowed to use walkers if they need them.

在尾道监狱、走廊采用斜坡而不是台阶，如果犯人们需要的话，他们就可以许可使用助行器。

The inmates work six hours a day, instead of the eight required of other prisoners, and do lighter tasks such as sorting papers, folding laundry and making beadwork and paper crafts. All prison employees have received training for elderly care, and two are certified assistant nurses.

他们每天工作6小时，而不是其他犯人所必需的8小时，而且也都是做些轻活，比如整理文件，叠衣服，制作串珠以及做些纸制工艺品。所有监狱的工作人员都会接受老年人护理培训，同时配备两名执业助理护士。

“We have to provide the kind of attention like ordinary nursing homes,” said Yoshihiro Kurahashi, chief guard at the prison.
 

监狱的看守长义弘仓桥表示：“我们不得不像普通养老院那样提供关怀（服务）。”

Still, the prisoners’ lives are strictly regimented, and conditions are hardly comfortable. There is no air conditioning to help endure southwestern Japan’s sweltering summers. All inmates must work, even those past retirement age. No talking is allowed at lunch, at work or during bathing; inmates can converse or read or watch TV only during a short period after lunch and at night until lights-out at 9 p.m.

不过，犯人们的起居要求还是相当严格，生活条件也不怎么舒服。没有空调帮助（犯人们）忍受日本西南部的闷热夏天。所有犯人都必须劳动，即使是那些已经过了 退休年龄的人。在午餐、工作和洗澡时禁止交谈；犯人们可以在午饭后聊天、阅读以及看电视，但时间都很短，晚上9点就会熄灯。

All prisoners wear light-green uniforms and caps. A guard shouts at one who forgets to wear his cap in a quiet workroom, where a red goldfish and a turtle, symbols of wealth and long life, are kept in a fish tank.

所有犯人都穿着浅绿色制服和帽子。在一个安静的工作室内，狱警冲一名忘戴帽子的犯人叫嚷，工作室的鱼缸里养了条红色金鱼和一只乌龟，而这是财富和长寿的象征。

Everywhere there are signs that this is not a normal prison.

到处都有迹象表明这里不是一间普通的监狱。

In one cell, a gray plastic tarp protects the straw “tatami” mat floor from bed-wetting. Mattresses cover the walls of another cell, now empty, to protect a former inmate with dementia who repeatedly banged his head against them. More than half the inmates have some form of dementia.

在一间单人牢房里，稻草编成的榻榻米上包了一层塑料布应对（老年人的）尿床。另一间单人牢房里，曾经有一名患老年痴呆症的犯人不断用头撞墙，为了保护他墙上都铺满了软垫，现在已经去掉了。（这里）超过一半的犯人都患有某种痴呆症。

The prison has a small clinic, but those who need advanced treatment are transferred to facilities with bigger medical wards, such as the one in Hiroshima.

监狱里有一间小诊所，但那些需要更先进治疗条件的人会被转送到拥有更大型医疗病房的地方，其中一间就设在广岛。

Onomichi’s pilot project houses 61 inmates from age 60 to 89. The facilities that have been built at three other prisons will together be able to handle 1,000 elderly inmates when they are fully operational.

尾道的试点项目安置了61名从60岁到89岁的犯人。而其他已经建成（同类）设施的三间监狱最高能接收共计1000名老年犯人。 Shoplifting is a growing problem across all ages in Japan, but the number of senior offenders has jumped nearly sevenfold over the past decade, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

据东京警视厅称，入店行窃在日本全年龄段中都是一个日益增长的问题，但高龄罪犯的人数在过去十年增加了近7倍。
 

In a Tokyo police survey of 1,050 shoplifting suspects last year, the majority of seniors said they were financially troubled or without regular income, single and had no friends. They most often stole food, cosmetics and other small items worth less than 5,000 yen.

据东京警方对去年1050名入店行窃案嫌犯所作的调查分析，大多数老年犯都表示他们经济困难或是没有固定收入来源，单身并且没有朋友。他们最常偷的是食品、化妆品和5000日元以下的小件物品。

“Elderly shoplifting cases have become a major social problem, and we have lagged in taking proper steps,” said Tokyo police official Fumio Yamashita. “We must seek how to rebuild our social ties.”

东京警官文雄山下表示：“老年人入店行窃案件已经成为了一大社会问题，现在对此采取措施已经有些迟了。”“我们必须找到重建我们社会纽带的方法”。

Japan now has a record 1.3 million families on welfare, of whom 44% are elderly households.

日本目前接受政府福利（救济）的家庭已达130万个，创历史记录，其中44%是老年人家庭。

“Some of the seniors here were convicted of shoplifting after having trouble making ends meet,” said Takashi Hayashi, head of the Onomichi Prison. “In a way, they are victims of the bad economy, but that shouldn’t be an excuse.”

“这里的部分老年犯人都是因无力挣脱困境，去入店行窃而被判刑的”。尾道监狱的主管林隆史表示“在一定程度上，他们是经济低迷的受害者，但这不应当作一个借口。”

Prison should not be their retirement home, he said. “We want them to regain motivation to live so they can return to society and stand on their own.”

监狱不应是他们的退休之家，他表示“我们希望他们能重拾生活的动力，重返社会，自强自立。

The prison has stepped up vocational and welfare programs to help seniors return to society.

这家监狱已加强职业教育和福利计划，以此来帮助老年人重返社会。

“Our main concern is how to keep them from repeating crimes. It would be best if they can support themselves physically and financially. If not, who would take care of them?” said Kurahashi, the prison guard. “Nursing care homes already are full. Who would be willing to accept former convicts?”

“我们最关心的就是如何避免他们再次犯罪。如果他们能自己照顾自己的身体和日常开销，那是最好了。如果他们不能自理的话，谁能照顾他们呢？”狱警仓桥说道。“护理养老院已经人满为患了，谁愿意接受有前科的人呢？”

With few choices, some regress further, said Taisei Sakuhara, a senior researcher at the Justice Ministry’s Research and Training Institute: They attempt more serious crimes, such as arson, to try to get a longer sentence the next time.

司法部研究培训机构的老年人研究员大成作原表示，由于无路可走，其中一些人会变本加厉，他们会策划更严重的犯罪，比如纵火，来试图能再被审判时刑期能更长些。

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原文下评论附译如下：

masterkun05

这些老家伙都在想什么呢。抢银行的话你还可以有钱并且后半辈子都能和你的老伙计一起住在汽车旅馆里。。。听起来，解决这个麻烦倒是个挺光荣的事，如果现在不解决那估计将来可能更糟。我都可以想象得到，会有一部根据这事拍成的电视剧。这太搞笑了。

sarahsuz25

这实在太搞笑了，指望一个70岁的有前科的人还能找到一份工作并且自个养活自个。

flyingfish

sarahsuz25 ，估计你也会认为社会拿钱供养一个有前科的人是个挺扯的事吧。

sfjp330

文章里说“没有家庭或者社会关系的老年犯人几乎没有假释的机会，虽然假释只需要一名可靠的监护人。”

这 有什么区别呢？为什么（这些人）没有假释的机会？如果他们在监狱里呆了足够的刑期，他们就应该像其他人一样获得假释。这些老年犯中大多数人都在社会保障体 系和失业救济体系内，他们应当有机会获得假释，并且有权从国家那拿到一小笔退休金然后独自过完余生。这比让他们呆在监狱里一辈子，并且还要一年365天给 他们吃，给他们住便宜多了。

jason6

如果我的职业生涯完蛋了，这会是我的B计划。

bdiego

“老年人入店行窃案件已经成为了一大社会问题。。。我们必须找到重建我们社会纽带的方法”。

真的假的？

这里的部分老年犯人都是因无力挣脱困境，去入店行窃而被判刑的。。。在一定程度上，他们是经济低迷的受害者，但这不应当作一个借口。”

没错，他们最好直接去死

照这么说，难怪这个问题这么快就变得如此糟糕。

圣经曰，“贼因饥饿偷窃充饥，人不藐视他，若被找着，他必赔还七倍”，但如果他们只偷吃的，那么他们只需要赔偿相应的价钱就够了。监狱并没说到这点，因为这些老年人不工作，并且还要花你的钱。这比他们偷窃的（价值）大多了。这真是一个恶性循环，把人治好了比得病还要糟糕。

jappos

日 本人年复一年的变得更有攻击性了。我在其他国家也见过，那些本应和正常老年人一样照顾孙辈，或是呆在养老院里的60多岁的罪犯不断增加。但是就像肯尼迪说 的“每个社会都会有社会所特有的犯罪”。比如一个“宽容”社会就会为那些老年人掏大把的金钱，而那些老人多半认为自己已经快死了，因此想做啥就做啥，（乱 穿马路啦，在街道中间骑自行车啦，想在哪停车就在哪停车啦，自己开车时想怎么开就怎么开啦，到哪都随地吐痰啦，在河里撒尿啦，乱划乱割啦，撞你啦，等等等 等。更不用说他们是如何的傲慢和好斗了！）我也听说过他们认罪就为了能呆在监狱里，在哪他们能免费得到照顾。想想吧！

GW

估计随着时间流逝，日本老年人中越来越多的人会有这样的想法，社会已经无力负担了。政府只是在浪费人民的税金，养老金和福利金。很明显，老头们都被骗了，日本人应该按照老习俗，带着老年人爬上山，然后在山里抛弃他们。

可悲的是日本社会已经放弃了老年人，那些呆在监狱里的人都应该算算他们的所得仅仅是他们（一生）付出的一丁点。