Lawmakers yesterday passed the third reading of amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act (少年事件處理法), which would bolster protections for young people detained by police or facing judicial procedures.
The amendments would bolster protections for young people from confinement and handcuffing, and help prevent injuries and self-harm while investigations are being conducted, lawmakers said.
The act defines protections for people aged 12 to 18, who are typically processed by the juvenile system if they are charged, but judicial experts and reform advocates have said that the current system can infringe on their rights.
The proposed amendments include provisions to guarantee a youth suspect the presence of a parent, legal guardian and lawyer when being questioned or making statements, which must be preceded by a written notice.
The changes would ban police and judicial officials from using confinement devices, including handcuffs and shackles, on youth suspects, except in serious cases or when flight is a strong possibility.
Separately, legislators approved the third reading of amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法), to deal with abuse of judicial resources.
To expedite trials and facilitate justice for people affected by crime, the judicial resources amendments would bar cases from being appealed to the Supreme Court when appellate courts have upheld earlier decisions in cases of violence in causing bodily harm or death, and possession of more than 20g of category 1 or 2 narcotics.
Under separate amendments approved by the legislature on Tuesday, people found guilty of vandalizing or hacking into critical infrastructure would face a sentence of up to seven years and a NT$10 million (US$325,034) fine.
The infrastructure amendments, which the Cabinet passed to the legislature in April, apply to public transportation systems, postal services, hospitals and financial institutions, as well as telecommunications, nuclear and space facilities and utilities.
The increased punishments are a response to a spate of incidents, including two undersea communications cables linking Taiwan and Lienchiang County being severed in February, the Cabinet said.
In addition, electricity cables at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport were allegedly cut by construction workers in March last year, leading to a power outage affecting the airport’s Terminal 2, it said.
Cabinet spokesman Lin Tze-luen (林子倫) said that the new rules were part of an effort to “deter illegal activities” aimed at compromising the country’s critical infrastructure.
The Cabinet would work with government agencies to bolster law enforcement to protect critical facilities, Lin said.
Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers said that the amendments would provide law enforcement agencies with “consistent” legal tools to better protect critical infrastructure in Taiwan, as current laws were too lenient on illegal activities.
Under existing laws, the maximum punishment for severing undersea cables is a prison term of less than two years, the lawmakers said.
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