Taipei, April 15 (CNA) The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) will propose amendments to the Criminal Code within a year to pave the way for a gradual abolition of the death penalty, Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu said Thursday.
"We are working on a raft of measures, including life imprisonment without parole and the establishment of special prisons to house such convicts, in preparation for the eventual elimination of capital punishment, " Tseng said at a Legislative Yuan hearing on Taiwan's death penalty policy.
However, he added that while the MOJ's ultimate goal is to abolish the death penalty, it has not set a timetable for completion of the process as there is no public consensus yet on the contentious issue.
"Our fundamental position is to deal with relevant cases in accordance with the existing laws, but we will also gradually reduce the use of capital punishment by introducing substitute penalties, " Tseng told lawmakers from the Legislative Yuan's Committee on Judicial and Legal Affairs.
Since the death penalty is still on the country's law books, Tseng said, the ministry will propose the addition of clauses to the Criminal Code that would allow for some criminals convicted of violent crimes to be given sentences of life imprisonment without parole.
Responding to some lawmakers' worries that such an option may exacerbate the problem of overcrowding in local prisons, Tseng said the ministry will draft complementary measures to prevent that from happening.
"Our draft package will include a blueprint for establishing special correctional facilities for those who are sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, " Tseng said. Such convicts will be offered vocational training so that they would not add to the country's financial burden, he added.
In addition, Tseng said, the amendment proposals will include broader compensation as well as educational and employment aid to victims of violent crimes.
Source: Focus Taiwan, April 15, 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment