Yoshio Yoshida (Shingu High School), a fourth-year student Department of Fine Arts and Media Sciences at the Faculty Faculty of Art and Design, collaborated with the Kyushu Regional Correctional Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice on an industry-academia project to create a one-page comic strip for public awareness campaigns on recidivism prevention. The project aimed to raise awareness among staff members regarding recidivism prevention and to conduct clear and effective public relations and awareness campaigns for the general public. The completed comic strip was used in a staff-participation "speech bubble contest" held within the Kyushu Regional Correctional Headquarters.
While the number of first-time offenders is decreasing nationwide, the recidivism rate remains high. In response to this challenge, a project utilizing manga was considered as a way to deliver recidivism prevention efforts in a more relatable and "easy-to-understand" way. As a result, our university was asked to produce the manga, leading to the implementation of this project.
In creating the manga, Yoshida visited a prison to understand the work and atmosphere there before creating the comic manuscript.
Yoshida said, "Through visiting prisons, I learned that some people find it difficult to build relationships with society after their release. With that background in mind, I felt that if those around them empathize with the other person's perspective and deepen their understanding, it could be one way to think about preventing recidivism." Regarding her artwork, she explained her intentions, saying, "I focused on the inner lives of people trying to rebuild their connections with society, expressing their motivations and struggles. I created the artwork hoping to convey that each individual is a being with their own emotions and thoughts, and to give viewers an opportunity to think beyond their own positions."
The artwork will be used in public relations activities within the district in the future.
Winning entries of the "Speech Bubble Contest"
