JRF Newsletter
National Judicial Reform Movement, Ready, Set, Go! Cycling Around Taiwan to Deliver Local Judicial Reform Opinions
Last edited: 2026-07-27
Are you dissatisfied with the judiciary? Do you feel the justice system is unfair? Do you have opinions about the judiciary you wish to express but lack the channels to do so?
Welcome to vote online at http://justice.care and tell us "what you think is wrong with the judiciary."
Over the years, we have grown accustomed to watching one controversial judicial case after another in the daily news. Every time, we cannot help but ask ourselves this question in our hearts: "What on earth is wrong with Taiwan's judiciary?" And every time, we sigh once more at our own powerlessness…
When faced with the people's concerns, the government always responds by asking: Judicial reform is needed, but how should the government reform it?
In 1999, the Judicial Yuan convened a three-day "National Judicial Reform Conference," bringing together hundreds of key representatives from the courts, ministries, judiciary, prosecution, defense, academia, the central legislature, police circles, and civil society organizations. The resolutions of this conference served as an important foundation for subsequent judicial reforms.
However, 16 years have passed, and public opinion polls show that public trust in the judiciary has dropped to an unbelievable low. Clearly, the government used the wrong methods, and perhaps even the wrong direction. In the end, the judiciary remains far removed from the people. . .
We believe the root cause lies in failing to properly ask the people from the very beginning: What is wrong with the judiciary!
"Asking the right questions" is critically important, yet far from easy. In the past, government consultations on judicial issues always targeted judicial elites, under the assumption that only they understood the law while ordinary citizens did not. Little did they realize that judicial elites are the subjects of reform and tend to overlook their own shortcomings. Since it is the people who use the judiciary, bypassing them in judicial reform explains why successive reform efforts have increasingly lost public trust.
National Judicial Reform Movement, Ready, Set, Go!
#BroadenParticipation #OpenAndTransparent #RuleOfLawEducation
Judicial Health Check
In May of this year, the Judicial Reform Foundation launched the "National Judicial Reform Movement." The first step is to gather public sentiment by inviting everyone to vote and tell us what is wrong with the judiciary, analyze the root causes, and ultimately seek solutions.
Objective: Promote a permanent institutional mechanism for judicial reform
Cycling to Deliver Judicial Reform Dreams
To collect grassroots public opinion from across the country, we will embark on the "Cycling Around Taiwan: Delivering Local Judicial Reform Opinions" campaign from May 13 to May 25. We will hold judicial forums in various regions, inviting local friends to chat with us about judicial reform.
In addition to the forums, our bicycle couriers will visit 17 district courts and summary courts across Taiwan to personally collect people's questions about the judiciary. We also encourage supportive local friends to come out and cheer for our bicycle couriers!
On May 25, we will announce the voting results and deliver all the collected "judicial problems" to the Office of the President, urging the government to listen to the people's voices.
Island-Winding Itinerary
- ① Taoyuan
- 5/13 (Fri) 09:30 @ Taoyuan District Court
- ② Hsinchu
- 5/13 (Fri) 13:00 @ Hsinchu District Court
- Forum 10,151 Days on Death Row
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5/13 (Fri) 19:00 @ Hsinchu Chenghuang Temple Entrance
YU Po-Hsiang, Attorney / Standing Executive Director, JRF
Conscientious Police Officer in the CHIU Ho-Shun Case - Register
- ③ Miaoli
- 5/14 (Sat) 13:00 @ Miaoli District Court
- ④ Taichung
- 5/15 (Sun) 09:30 @ Taichung District Court
- ⑤ Nantou
- 5/15 (Sun) 13:00 @ Nantou District Court
- ⑥ Changhua
- 5/15 (Sun) 16:30 @ Changhua District Court
- Forum Hometown, Judiciary, and Poetry
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5/15 (Sun) 19:00 @ White Cube Coffee
LAI Ying-Chen, Attorney / Standing Executive Director, JRF
LEE Chang-Ch'ing, Teacher / Poet - Register
- ⑦ Yunlin
- 5/16 (Mon) 13:00 @ Yunlin District Court
- ⑧ Chiayi
- Forum An Innocent Person Convicted
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5/16 (Mon) 19:00 @ Taiwan Bookstore
LO Ping-Cheng, Attorney / Standing Executive Director, JRF
CHENG Hsing-Tse / Victim of Wrongful Conviction - Register
- 5/17 (Tue) 09:30 @ Chiayi District Court
- ⑨ Tainan
- Forum Legal Professionals on a Tightrope
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5/17 (Tue) 19:00 @ Tainan Old Book Shop
CH'EN Ch'in-Hsien, Judge / Tainan District Court Judge
HUANG Chih-Hao, Attorney / Standing Executive Director, JRF - Register
- ⑩ Kaohsiung
- 5/18 (Wed) 13:00 @ Kaohsiung District Court
- ⑪ Pingtung
- 5/19 (Thu) 09:30 @ Pingtung District Court
- ⑫ Taitung
- 5/20 (Fri) 13:00 @ Taitung District Court
- Forum Hsu Tzu-Chiang's Exercise Problems
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5/20 (Fri) 19:00 @ Huang Huang Secondhand Bookstore
HUANG Chung-Hao / Senior Volunteer for the Hsu Case
HSU Tzu-Chiang / Victim of Wrongful Conviction - Register
- ⑬ Yuli
- 5/21 (Sat) 16:30 @ Yuli Summary Court
- ⑭ Hualien
- 5/22 (Sun) 16:30 @ Hualien District Court
- ⑮ Yilan
- 5/23 (Mon) 09:30 @ Yilan District Court
- ⑯ Keelung
- Forum Great Attorneys Without a Law Degree
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5/23 (Mon) 19:00 @ Green Bean Coffee
LEE Yen-Jung, Attorney / Standing Director, Awakening Foundation
SUN Bin, Attorney / Standing Executive Director, JRF - Register
- 5/24 (Tue) 09:30 @ Keelung District Court
- ⑰ Taipei
- 5/24 (Tue) 13:00 @ Shilin District Court
- 5/24 (Tue) 16:30 @ New Taipei District Court
- Forum Judicial Reform Face to Face
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5/24 (Tue) 19:00 @ Shell House
KAO Jung-Chih / Executive Director, JRF
KO I-Chen / Director - Register
- Special
- Forum The Legendary Room 303 of Taichung District Court
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5/27 (Fri) 19:00 @ Taichung Philosophy Friday
LIN Chih-Chung, Attorney / Standing Executive Director, JRF
CH'EN Yi-Chen / Executive Secretary, JRF - Register
Volunteer Recruitment
Join us in completing the dream of cycling around the island—volunteers wanted! If you love sports and photography, pack your bags and cycle around the island with us!
- Accompanying Photographers & Documentarians: 2 positions
- Must participate for the entire journey or coordinate within a self-formed group
- Deliverables: One long video (under 5 minutes), 3–4 short videos (under 3 minutes)
- Compensation: Negotiable
- Segment Companion Riders: 20 positions
- Segment: From Taichung District Court to Taichung City Hall
- Time: Gather on 5/15 (Sun) at 9:00 in front of Taichung District Court (No. 91, Sec. 1, Ziyou Rd., Taichung City)
- Equipment: Bring your own bicycle or YouBike, comfortable clothing, and drinking water
- Application Instructions & Steps
- Accompanying photography schedules are free of charge, including accommodation and accidental injury insurance
- Segment companion riders must bring their own bicycle and equipment
- Please review the island-cycling schedule beforehand to ensure availability
Contact Person: HUANG Wei-Ting, Director of Taichung Office
- Phone: 04-23292372
- E-mail: anomie@jrf.org.tw
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.