Information was obtained from interviews, observations, articles and research reports by Japanese Scholars, and field visits. Interviews were conducted with probation officials, volunteers, parole board members, legal scholars, halfway house residents, and private citizens in various parts of Japan. The discussion first examines factors in the Japanese culture that contribute to the low crime rate. An overview of the Japanese justice system addresses trends in criminal offenses, dispute resolution and the law, courts and the investigation of crime, alternative dispositions, and correctional institutions. Comparative examination of the organization of parole and community-based services in Japan and the United States begins with brief histories of such services. Among the topics covered under the organization of these services are the decentralization of probation services, parole boards in both nations, and parole revocation in both countries. The professional worker's role is reviewed in experimental programs in the United States in the role of the Japanese officer, in a profile of the Tokyo probation office, and in the results of field visits to four Japanese cities. The training, education, and career patterns of probation officers are also discussed. Separate chapters cover volunteers in probation and parole as well as halfway houses in both countries. Chapter references, subject index.