Background
South Korea's Ministry of Justice runs psychological treatment programmes for prisoners convicted of sexual violence, stalking, child abuse and domestic violence. In July 2026 the ministry added a virtual reality component designed to let offenders experience the crime scenario from the victim's point of view, rather than working through it in a group discussion alone.
The deployment
The VR-based psychotherapy programme began full operation at 11 correctional facilities nationwide from the end of July 2026. It is used alongside existing group psychotherapy rather than as a standalone treatment, and is intended to help participants recognise distorted thinking and better understand the consequences of their actions.
The content
The ministry developed 18 VR scenarios reflecting the characteristics of four crime types:
- Sexual violence — 6 scenarios
- Stalking — 4 scenarios
- Child abuse — 4 scenarios
- Domestic violence — 4 scenarios
Pilot and outcomes
Before the rollout the programme was piloted at nine correctional institutions with 392 inmates. Researchers compared inmates who received the VR-assisted treatment against a control group that underwent conventional group psychotherapy only.
Among inmates convicted of sexual violence, the VR group improved more on every measured indicator. Cognitive distortion improved by 18.1 percent, against 9 percent in the control group. Aggression fell by 14.2 percent, against 2.4 percent for conventional treatment alone. Empathy improved by 13.9 percent, against 8.9 percent.
The ministry said the results suggest immersive VR experiences can strengthen inmates' self-awareness and understanding of victims' perspectives, enhancing the effect of conventional psychotherapy. Participants quoted below described the scenarios as vivid enough to prompt them to reflect on their own past behaviour, with one recalling how his son may have felt during past abuse.
Next steps
As the programme moves into full operation, the ministry said it will continue evaluating results and refining the VR content for different types of crime. The stated aims are supporting inmates' rehabilitation and reducing recidivism.
