Lecture | What Makes Rebuilding Life After Release So Difficult? A Preliminary Examination of Taiwan's Aftercare Protection Mechanism

Taiwan enacted the Aftercare Act in 2010, the purpose of which, as stated in Article 1, is "to protect released prisoners and persons entitled to protection under this Act, enabling them to become self-reliant and suited to social life, and to prevent recidivism so as to maintain public peace." The Act also establishes the Aftercare Association with the aim of helping rehabilitated persons successfully reintegrate into society.

However, the reality is that upon release, former inmates face challenges such as finding housing, lacking stable sources of income, and encountering social stigma. Successfully reintegrating into society and rebuilding their lives is fraught with difficulty. Current aftercare protection mechanisms still struggle to accommodate many of these situations, let alone bring about structural change. The Judicial Reform Foundation has long been concerned with the human rights of inmates. Particularly following the implementation of amendments to the Enforcement Act of the Prison Act and the Detention Act in 2020, our Complaint Center has received over 800 letters from inmates annually. To monitor the implementation of these new laws, we have maintained ongoing contact with released individuals, thereby gaining a broader understanding of their various circumstances after release.

This sharing session and seminar will be primarily presented by six summer interns from Chung Yuan Christian University. This summer marked their first exposure to prison issues and their first time conducting field research, through which they learned about the practical difficulties former inmates face in utilizing current aftercare mechanisms and reflected on potential methods for improvement. Additionally, we have invited Professor Ch'en Wen-ju from the Department of Social Work at National Taipei University to serve as a discussant. We hope that through the sharing and discussion in this seminar, we can contribute to providing future directions for improving the aftercare protection system.

Online Participation  In-Person Participation

Time

Wednesday, August 28, 2024, 19:00-20:30

Location

Taipei Office, Judicial Reform Foundation (7F., No. 3, Lane 90, Sungjiang Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City), with simultaneous online streaming.
In-person attendance is limited to 20 people. Streaming links will be sent after online registration.

Agenda

Time	Program
19:00-19:10	Opening Remarks
19:10-19:50	Sharing by Summer Interns from the Department of Financial and Economic Law, Chung Yuan Christian University Hsu Li-ch'un, Hsu Yu-chieh, Liu Ch'eng-ying, Wang Yü-chen, Yü Szu-hua, Hsu Tzu-ting
19:50-20:10	Discussion by Professor Ch'en Wen-ju
20:10-20:30	Q&A

Event Contact

Legal Specialist Ch'en Kuan-chen (02)2523-1178 olivia@jrf.org.tw