Spring Reading Group｜Key Readers for Prison External Inspection Reports, We Need You!

Inmates are citizens wearing 'prison uniforms,' not 'castaways' abandoned by the constitutional guarantee of fundamental rights.

~ Concurring Opinion to Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 755, Grand Justice Hsu Tzung-li

The Grand Justices proclaimed that inmates are equally protected by constitutional fundamental rights; however, this should not merely be a slogan. Inmates are individuals whose liberty has been deprived due to a crime. Following this deprivation, virtually every aspect of an inmate's daily life is controlled by the state, leaving them with little autonomy over their fate. Furthermore, the high walls of prisons not only physically isolate inmates, but also render those living inside invisible to society. The various problems and difficulties occurring within remain largely unknown to the outside world. If we wish for the protection of inmates' fundamental rights to be more than just a slogan, mechanisms for safeguarding their relevant rights must be established.

The newly amended Prison Act was promulgated and implemented in 2020. One of its key focuses is the establishment of independent external inspection committees in every prison. The concept behind this system is to make prisons as transparent as possible—on one hand, reducing the occurrence of human rights violations, and on the other hand, allowing the outside world to better understand whether prisons are encountering any problems or difficulties, thereby creating an opportunity for improvement by directly confronting these matters. To implement the principle of transparency, the new Prison Act requires prison external inspection committees to submit reports, enabling the public to better understand actual prison conditions and allowing for a review of the operation of this external inspection mechanism.

JRF has consistently monitored the operation of prison external inspections since the implementation of the new Act. We have read and commented on the initial external inspection reports from all prisons. In November 2022, the prison external inspection committees underwent a turnover, and the second generation of committees took office, having successively submitted five quarters of inspection reports.

We invite friends who care about prison issues and wish to contribute to read the inspection reports from various prison external inspection committees. Ultimately, we will compile everyone's reflections and questions to submit to the respective committees. Depending on participants' questions, we may invite rehabilitated individuals, practitioners, or external inspection committee members to share their experiences, or arrange prison visits.

Online Registration

Time

• 03/02 (Sat) 14:00 Online Briefing Session
• A series of reading groups held every Saturday at 2:00 PM from March to May 〔3/9 (Sat), 3/16 (Sat), 3/23 (Sat), 3/30 (Sat), 4/13 (Sat), 4/27 (Sat), 5/4 (Sat), 5/11 (Sat) 〕

Participation Format

100% online, no physical meetings

Prerequisites

Care about prison issues and possess a curious, question-loving mind.

Recruitment Capacity

6 people (if applications exceed capacity, priority will be given to those who can participate fully and demonstrate higher motivation)

Content

• Read external inspection reports from various prisons. Ultimately, compile everyone's reflections and questions to submit to the respective prison external inspection committees.
• Depending on participants' questions, invite rehabilitated individuals, practitioners, or external inspection committee members to share experiences, or arrange prison visits.

※This prison external inspection report reading activity is co-organized by JRF and the "Glimmer in the Dark - Prison External Inspection Report Reading Project and Death Row Correspondence Project" under the University Social Responsibility Practice Project hosted by Professor Lu Ying-chieh of National Chung Cheng University.