2015 Work Report

■Prosecutorial System Reform

Drafting the Organic Act of the Prosecutors Office to reform the systemic flaws of the current prosecutorial system.
Reform objectives: (1) Abolish the Special Investigation Division; (2) Eradicate frivolous prosecutions and establish mechanisms where power and responsibility are commensurate; (3) Implement a written directive system to bring transparency to the principle of "prosecutorial unity"; (4) Strengthen the mechanism for selecting and weeding out incompetent prosecutors.

■Advocating for Amendments to the Judges Act

 The Judges Act restricts citizens' right to directly file complaints against judges and prosecutors, requiring them to be submitted by officially chartered civil organizations. However, it fails to grant these civil organizations appropriate powers to investigate and review case files, rendering the individual evaluation mechanism ineffective. The Foundation will continue to monitor, critique, and demand legal amendments.

■Advocating for Amendments to the Communication Security and Surveillance Act

 In view of the rampant wiretapping in our country, we have drafted a proposal for the Communication Security and Surveillance Act, advocating for the abolition of the "Communications Surveillance Center."

■Complaint Center

1. Continue to accept public grievance cases. The main types of grievance cases handled are:
   • Reporting incompetent judges and prosecutors: Researching grounds for evaluation and filing requests for individual evaluations of incompetent judges and prosecutors pursuant to the Judges Act.
   • Rescue in major criminal miscarriage of justice cases: Investigating whether there is scope to file for retrials, extraordinary appeals, or petitions to the Control Yuan for cases where a final judgment has been rendered.
2. Planning to establish regional offices for the Complaint Center, focusing initially on the central and southern regions. Partnering with local lawyers and schools to accept grievance cases, jointly organize events, and assist with individual cases, thereby gradually integrating local resources in central and southern Taiwan.

■Lay Participation in Trials

• Opposing the Judicial Yuan's version of the "observer-judges system" and proposing a civil-society counter-proposal officially titled the "Act on Lay Participation in Criminal Trials," while continuously promoting its legislation.
• In-depth research and formulation of various systems, bills, and complementary measures that may be required for the "lay participation in trials system."
• Continuing to conduct "mock jury trial" activities across the country to introduce the "lay participation in trials system" through interactive and participatory methods.

■Further Reform of the New Criminal Procedure System

• In response to the Judicial Yuan's proposed amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure in the Legislative Yuan, the Foundation has submitted a civil-society counter-proposal to accelerate the pace of reform.

■Court Observation

• Continuing to recruit volunteers and interns, and collaborating with universities and senior high schools to conduct service-learning courses on court observation across national courts, as well as writing observation reports.

■Individual Case Rescue

• The Su Chien-ho Case: Acquitted with a final judgment; subsequent exchange programs will be conducted, such as making all related archives public and holding seminars.
• The Hsu Tzu-chiang Case: Released due to the Criminal Speedy Trial Act; JRF volunteers continue to assist in organizing case files and litigation materials, actively preparing for subsequent litigation.
• The Chiang Kuo-ching Case: Investigating the torture, forced confessions, and abuse of power in prosecution committed by officers of the former General Headquarters of the Air Force and the Counter-Intelligence Command in those years. On December 12, 2012, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office remanded the case to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for reinvestigation for the second time; the Foundation will continue to monitor this. Civil compensation litigation is also underway, and the Foundation continuously launches court observations.
• The Chiou Ho-shun Case: Continuing to mobilize volunteers for weekly visits and assisting the legal team in filing for retrials, constitutional interpretations, and other rescue actions.

■Volunteer System Management

• Deploying the CiviCRM volunteer system, establishing and revising volunteer activities and training courses through strategic planning and regular reviews, in order to cultivate various types of core volunteers, build the operational model of the volunteer organization, and thereby promote mutual exchange among volunteers.
• Integrating functions such as volunteers, events, donors, and newsletters through the implementation of the CiviCRM system, moving towards systematic and targeted management.

■Social Movement Public Interest Lawyer Platform

• Established the Social Movement Public Interest Lawyer Platform with the aim of effectively integrating the needs and resources of various civil associations, providing prompt and effective legal assistance.

■Judicial Reform 20th Anniversary "Digital Archives"

• Since its establishment in November 1995, the Judicial Reform Foundation has been active for nearly 20 years, accumulating a substantial amount of relevant documents and materials, and has begun the work of gradually digitizing and archiving them.

■Coalition Work

• Continuing to participate in the "Covenant Watch," the "Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty," the "Legal Aid Safeguard Alliance," the "Action Coalition for the Amendment of the Assembly and Procession Act," and the "Citizen Congress Watch."

■Publicity and Publication

• Continually updating the Foundation's website and dispatching e-newsletters, regularly publishing the "Judicial Reform Magazine," planning and producing a documentary on the Hsu Tzu-chiang case, and submitting op-eds on judicial current affairs to print and media outlets.

■Legal Ethics Education Center

• Regularly holding reading groups and continuing the second phase of the book publication project to publish books related to the sociology of law.