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Measures to ease prison overcrowding discussed

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As of June 2012, the excess occupancy rate of correctional institutions nationwide had reached 19.93%. To address this problem, Premier Sean Chen on July 18 instructed the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to increase occupancy by expansion and renovation. He also asked the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics to find room in the budget to fund the expenses.

After being briefed on efforts to resolve prison overcrowding in a meeting of the Executive Yuan's human rights task force, Chen directed the MOJ to redouble its efforts to carry out short-, mid- and long-term response measures and to keep working closely with the Judicial Yuan and other government agencies to map out strategies to cope with the increase of the criminal population.

According to the MOJ, excessive occupancy in Taiwan's correctional centers is mainly attributable to a sustained increase of people imprisoned for general crimes, especially offenses against public safety and fraud. Meanwhile, it is difficult to find space in northern Taiwan to build new correctional facilities to house more detainees. The July 1, 2006 revision to the Criminal Code to stipulate that those convicted of multiple instances of the same crime must serve their sentences consecutively rather than concurrently has also contributed to overcrowding by lengthening prison stays.

The MOJ said that to manage the problem in the short term, it will make better use of deferred prosecution, parole, and commutations of imprisonment to fines or community service. Furthermore, correctional facilities' unused space will be re-examined, and inmates will be appropriately classified and housed in different cells for better management. To reduce repeated offenses, the "restorative justice" approach, which requires the joint participation of offenders, victims and the involved communities in the process of rehabilitation, therapy and re-integration to society, will be employed when appropriate.

In the mid- to long-term, the MOJ will exert all possible efforts to expand, renovate and build detention centers. It will also seek a consensus for legislative amendments that would lower the incarceration rate, which would dramatically improve the situation. Finally, it will promote community-based treatment to limit the number of offenders occupying correctional facilities.

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