2017 Action Plan

I Initiating, Monitoring, and Cooperating with the Presidential Office's National Judicial Reform Conference

1. Advocated for the President to personally lead judicial reform through visits, press conferences, and media op-eds.
2. Monitored procedural issues, such as the methodology of the conference, during the National Judicial Reform Conference.
3. Following the National Judicial Reform Conference, established the "Alliance for Civil Monitoring and Implementation of the Resolutions of the National Judicial Reform Conference" to continuously promote the implementation of the resolutions.

II Bill Promotion and Institutional Reform

1. Promoting Reform of the Judges and Prosecutors Systems

   1. Completed the drafting of the "Draft Organic Act of the Prosecutors Office" and continued drafting the "Draft Prosecutors Act" to thoroughly separate prosecution from adjudication, ensuring prosecutors are no longer tethered to the Judges Act.
   2. Continued drafting the "Draft Amendment to the Judges Act" to promote reform of the individual judicial evaluation system.

2. Promoting Amendments for Attorneys System Reform

   • Completed the drafting of the "Draft Amendment to the Attorney Regulation Act" to elevate the quality of attorneys, strengthen attorney disciplinary efficacy, and enhance the transparency of attorney information.

3. Promoting Lay Participation in Trials

   • In response to the Judicial Yuan's formulation of the "Draft Act on Lay Participation in Criminal Trials," we continued to promote the enactment of our civil version of the "Draft Act on Lay Participation in Criminal Trials" and planned seminars on lay participation in trials.

4. Further Reforming the New Criminal Procedure System

   • Regarding the Judicial Yuan's proposed amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure focusing on three key provisions—guaranteeing the right of defendants without defense counsel to access case files and evidence during trial, preventing flight, and interlocutory appeals against detention—our foundation proposed a civil counter-proposal.

5. Expert Witness System Reform

   1. Collected individual cases involving flawed expert testimony and filed complaints with the Control Yuan.
   2. Drafted the "Draft Organic Act of the Forensic Science Commission," planned education, training, and certification systems for expert witnesses, promoted laboratory accreditation, established forensic science appraisal guidelines and standard operating procedures, reviewed flawed appraisals, and promoted forensic science education.

6. Judicial Sunshine Net

   • The "Civil Online Judge Evaluation System" was launched for trial operation, enabling parties, attorneys, and courtroom observers to conduct evaluations more conveniently. This gradually builds a database to eventually make the final evaluation results public, thereby slowly weeding out incompetent judges and encouraging dedicated, good judges.

III Case Work

1. Judge and Prosecutor Monitoring

   1. Held a seminar on "The Individual Evaluation System and Judge and Prosecutor Monitoring."
   2. Filed a total of 4 requests for judge evaluation and 2 requests for prosecutor evaluation in 2017.

2. Major Wrongful Conviction Rescue

   1. Hsu Tzu-chiang Case: After Hsu Tzu-chiang was acquitted with finality, we assisted in applying for criminal compensation. Following deliberation by High Court judges who found that the police had procedural negligence during the investigation back then, leading to 5,624 days of unlawful detention, compensation of NT$28.12 million was approved.
   2. Chiou Ho-shun Case:
      • (1) Assisted in applying for oral argument at the Supreme Court, and the pro bono legal team visited the Prosecutor-General to petition for a retrial.
      • (2) Volunteers made regular visits to Chiou Ho-shun and produced supportive postcards.
      • (3) Continued discussions on retrial and constitutional interpretation strategies.

3. Restarting the Non-Disclosure of Investigation Committee

   1. Established a dedicated hotline at the Complaint Center to receive public reports and complaints regarding violations of the non-disclosure of investigations.
   2. Established a "Pro Bono Legal Team" to assist citizens in claiming state compensation.

IV Legal Education

1. Legal Ethics Education Center

   • Published the book "Unveiling the Mystery of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany: The Will Formation and Decision-Making Process of the Constitutional Court."

2. Internship Opportunities

   • Collaborated with National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, Soochow University, Chinese Culture University, National Taipei University, Ming Chuan University, 真理大學 [Veritas University], Shih Hsin University, Chung Yuan Christian University, 静宜大學 [Providence University], and National University of Kaohsiung to co-administer internship or service-learning courses, providing students with actual case studies and practical participation in the planning and execution of advocacy campaigns.

3. Campus Mock Trial Activities

   • Continued collaborating with teachers across Taiwan to host lectures and bring mock jury trials into classrooms. Attorneys drafted and edited courtroom scripts, and students played roles such as judges, jurors, prosecutors, attorneys, defendants, and witnesses. During the process, students acting as jurors discussed their respective arguments, persuading and reasoning with each other, thereby opening up avenues for contemplating Taiwan's judicial problems.
   • As of this year, cumulative figures have reached 44 sessions, with over 1,700 students participating in the "Campus Mock Jury Trial" teaching materials. Excluding winter and summer breaks, we have maintained an average of entering a classroom at least once a week to lead the "Campus Mock Jury Trial" curriculum.