Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) yesterday confirmed that the ministry and the Executive Yuan are assessing the prospect of a general sentence reduction for prisoners, but opposition legislators and other commentators said the idea was a mistake.
Luo said that the Executive Yuan has asked the ministry to examine the possibility of cutting jail time for prisoners, while minimizing the impact on society.
She was responding to questions by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) at a meeting of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee.
Lu first proposed the move to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on April 15, to coincide with this year’s events commemorating the 70-year anniversary of the end of World War II, and also to alleviate prison overcrowding.
Under Lu’s proposal, jail terms for minor offenses and lighter sentences are to be cut, leading to the release of some prisoners, while inmates over the age of 65, would also be freed, but the clemency would not extend to those who had been convicted of serious crimes.
However, critics said the proposal was misguided.
Judicial Reform Foundation chief executive Kao Jung-chih (高榮志) called it “a rash and ill-considered proposal.”
“How would commemorations for the end of World War II have anything to do with the situation of Taiwan’s judiciary system and correctional facilities? This is just ridiculous,” Kao said.
“If the move was aimed at the prison crowding situation, then it should look at those serving life terms and long sentences. Luo was approaching the issue the wrong way. She seemed not to understand the main issues at correctional facilities,” Kao said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) criticized Ma and the KMT for advancing the proposal.
“People will think it is in preparation for next year’s elections. Or maybe the sentence reduction is for Ma’s own consideration with an eye on possible criminal proceedings against him when he finishes his presidential term next year,” Huang said.
DPP Legislator Wu Yi-chen (吳宜臻) said she was concerned what the impact of such a move would have on society.
“In our nation’s experience on general amnesties and sentence reductions, the recidivism rate was high, especially for those with lighter sentences.” she said.
The proposal to reduce jail terms would not achieve any positive outcome on the rehabilitation of criminals and it would not mitigate the prison overcrowding situation, she said.
“The government must examine the high rate of recidivism among released criminals. There is also the issue of ‘restorative justice’ for victims and their families. There are also societal concerns for public safety and a rising crime rate. If these issues are not addressed, then the move shows the actions of an irresponsible government,” Wu said.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
RSS