The Ministry of Justice is planning to put electronic tracking devices on some paroled criminals in the future to make sure that they will not repeat their offenses.
According to Vice Minister of Justice Morley Shih (
"We are planning to set up a tracking mechanism for certain criminals, such as rapists or murderers, after they are paroled," Shih said. "We want to make sure that they will not repeat their crimes again ... I think this is necessary."
The ministry's plan to put electronic tracking devices on certain criminals does not include those who have finished their jail terms.
"It will only be carried out for parolees," Shih said.
Meanwhile, since the electronic tracking device system only works within a certain range, Shih said that the ministry is also considering linking it up with the global positioning system (GPS) so that law enforcement officers will be able to locate the person being tracked anywhere.
Shih said that the ministry will organize meetings sometime next week to discuss details of the proposed amendment to the Guidance Law (觀護法). If the amendment passes, in the future, paroled rapists, murderers or even those found guilty of espionage will be forced to put on these electronic tracing devices so law enforcement officers can trace them whenever necessary.
In addition to the electronic tracking devices, the amendment to the Guidance Law would also authorize law enforcement officers to confine some parolees to their home and apartment, or put them under curfew.
How long parolees will have to wear tracking devices remains an undecided question.
"As of now, it is quite clear that rapists and murderers will have to wear them. But we are also considering asking certain suspects on bail to join the program," Shih added.
"These two kinds of criminals [rapists and murderers] have two unique characteristics in common -- they love to move around and they love to go out at night. These two characteristics may lead them to repeat their crimes and we will help avoid that," Shih continued. "We cannot put our community's safety at risk."
Local human rights activists have been complaining against the idea, Shih said, arguing that the new tracking system would deprive people of their basic human rights.
Under the law, convicted rapists must go through a rehabilitation program as they are serving their jail time. However, a study by the ministry also showed that it is very difficult to determine if a rapist is completely "rehabilitated" when he finishes his jail term.
"What we care about more is public safety," Shih said. "I cannot say that these activists' concerns are totally wrong, but we will keep communicating with them."
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, was arrested in Boston last month amid US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday. The arrest of Liou was first made public on the official Web site of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday. ICE said Liou was apprehended for overstaying her visa. The Boston Field Office’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) had arrested Liou, a “fugitive, criminal alien wanted for embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes in Taiwan,” ICE said. Liou was taken into custody
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
RSS