A Judiciary That Welcomes Supervision—Launch of the Taipei Legal Professionals Evaluation (Three-Way Mutual Evaluation by Judges, Prosecutors, and Defense Attorneys)

The Judicial Reform Foundation (JRF), the Taipei District Court, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, and the Taipei Bar Association jointly held a press conference today (the 30th) to announce the launch of the "Taipei Legal Professionals Evaluation Press Conference." Although limited to the jurisdiction of the Taipei District Court, this unprecedented "major initiative" involving mutual evaluation among criminal court judges, prosecutors, and criminal defense attorneys is the first of its kind in Taiwan, drawing intense public interest regarding its future effectiveness and results.

In response, the organizer JRF stated that the foundation has long been committed to promoting legal professionals evaluation work. Although it previously collaborated with local bar associations or relevant courts in 1998, 2002, and 2003 on "Judge Evaluation," "Hsinchu Area Attorney Evaluation," and the "Taipei District Court Two-Way Questionnaire Survey for Civil Consolidated Trial Judges and Attorneys," the smooth launch of this Taipei Legal Professionals Evaluation (three-way mutual evaluation among judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys) relies heavily on the full support and assistance of the Taipei District Court, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, and the Taipei Bar Association.

The JRF stated that the planning and preparation for this evaluation took over nine months. Because it involves cross-evaluation among the judiciary, prosecution, and defense, the evaluation methods and contents (for detailed evaluation methods and plans, please refer to the appendix) are extremely complex. They are divided into three categories of evaluation for criminal court judges, prosecutors, and criminal defense attorneys, covering ten evaluation contents and forms, and employing two methods: case-by-case evaluation and written evaluation conducted twice a year.

This "Taipei Legal Professionals Evaluation" will run for one year starting February 1 this year (2004) and ending in late January next year (2005). Among them, the criminal attorney evaluation will roll out first in February, with criminal court judges of the Taipei District Court and prosecutors of the Taipei District Prosecutors Office conducting case-by-case evaluations of attorneys retained by the public. As for the evaluation of criminal court judges, public prosecution division prosecutors, and investigation division prosecutors, since they adopt a semi-annual written evaluation method, they will commence in August this year.

During this press conference, both official and non-governmental co-organizers unanimously emphasized: "To elevate the quality of justice, legal professionals must have the courage to supervise and be happy to accept supervision." Especially following the major amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure last year (2003), judges, prosecutors, and attorneys will truly act as the "iron triangle" of the criminal courtroom. Only when all three uphold integrity and dedication can it be a blessing to the people. The co-organizers hope that by promoting this Taipei Legal Professionals Evaluation, the following objectives can be achieved: 1. Through the accumulation of long-term evaluation data from multiple sources, a reliable basis will be established for future systems of selecting judges from attorneys and prosecutors; 2. Through mutual supervision, encouragement, and healthy competition among judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys, the quality of justice will be further enhanced. It is further hoped that this activity will resonate with legal professionals in other regions, allowing the positive significance of legal professionals evaluation to blossom across the country.