Press Advisory | Do Not Rush Through Constitutionally Problematic Drafts: Reject a Stigmatizing Social Safety Net-Press Conference on Custodial-Disposition Reform

To address criminal cases involving persons with mental disorders, the Legislative Yuan's Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee is scheduled to review draft amendments concerning custodial dispositions on October 7. The proposals would remove the existing five-year maximum period for custodial dispositions and create an "emergency custody" mechanism. Significant concerns remain: both the Judicial Yuan and Executive Yuan have identified possible constitutional problems, and the proposals have not been coordinated with complementary amendments to the Mental Health Act. They should not be rushed through the legislature.

This press conference will review existing treatment resources from the perspectives of forensic psychiatry and community-based support and care. Civil society organizations will propose policies aimed at providing appropriate treatment and meaningful assistance to persons with mental disorders who come into conflict with the law while genuinely addressing public-safety needs.

Press Conference Time

October 6, 2021 (Wed.), 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Venue

Room 101, Legislative Yuan Research Building (No. 3-1, Sec. 1, Jinan Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City)

Participants

Chiu Hsien-Chih / Legislator
Wang Wan-Yu / Legislator
Lin Chun-Hung / Chair, Criminal Law Committee, Taipei Bar Association
Chen Hui-Min / Chairperson, Prison Watch
Huang Sung-Li / Convener, Covenants Watch
Lin Tzu-Wei / Director of Legal Affairs, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty
Lin Chun-Ju / Director, Legal Policy Department, Judicial Reform Foundation
(Additional participants being invited)

Press Contact

Attorney Lin Chun-Ju, Director, Legal Policy Department, Judicial Reform Foundation
Phone: (02) 2523-1178 ext. 20