2017 Judicial Reform Resolutions: Oversight & Implementation
Monitoring the Implementation of Resolutions from the 2017 National Judicial Reform Conference
In November 2016, President Tsai Ing-wen personally convened the Office of the President National Judicial Reform Conference, bringing together representatives from the judiciary, prosecution, and defense, as well as cross-disciplinary civil society actors. Following nearly a year of intensive discussions, a comprehensive set of judicial reform resolutions was adopted in August 2017. JRF continues to track the implementation of these resolutions to ensure that reform commitments do not remain empty promises.
Origins of the National Judicial Reform Conference
In 2016, public expectations for judicial reform reached a peak. Making "judicial reform" a major political platform, President Tsai Ing-wen promptly announced the convening of the Office of the President National Judicial Reform Conference upon taking office. She personally served as the convener, delegating representatives from various sectors to formulate reform proposals addressing core issues in the existing judicial system through subcommittee meetings.
The conference was divided into five working groups covering five major dimensions: victim protection, judicial quality, authority and responsibility systems, public participation, and social safety. A total of over 40 subcommittee and additional meetings were held, culminating in the concluding meeting on August 12, 2017, where reform resolutions were formally adopted.
Key directions of the concluding meeting resolutions include:
Establishing the citizen judge system, introducing public participation in prosecutorial screening, strengthening assistance measures for vulnerable groups, promoting open courtroom audio and video, enhancing transparency of attorney information, digitizing judicial hardware equipment, reforming the prosecutorial personnel system, building a pyramid-shaped adversarial trial procedure (mandatory defense and attorney representation), promoting restorative justice, and enhancing continuing education and training for judges, among others.
Eight Key Areas of Reform
Materials from the Five Subcommittee Meetings
Click on each subcommittee to access complete meeting recordings, official materials, and JRF commentary:
Resolution Implementation Tracking Records
JRF continuously records the progress of resolution implementation, evaluates reform outcomes annually, and reports publicly to society:
Official Materials and Original Documents
Office of the President National Judicial Reform Conference
Official website, including five subcommittee pages, all meeting materials, and proceedings records.
justice.president.gov.twSubcommittee Meeting Records Overview
All subcommittees on the official website, where meeting agendas, member lists, and complete meeting materials can be viewed.
View Subcommittee PagesJudicial Reform Conference YouTube Channel
Complete playlists of all subcommittee meeting recordings, viewable by subcommittee and session.
Go to YouTube ChannelJudicial Reform Cannot Stop, Monitoring Must Continue
The adoption of resolutions is merely the starting point; true reform requires continuous attention and pressure from civil society. Support JRF's work to keep the voice of monitoring effective.
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