Following a prisoner's final steps

The Ministry of Justice's decision to open prison facilities to the public starting Aug. 1, has brought the issue of the death penalty and how it is carried out to the center of public discussion at a time when the nation's justice officials are working to eliminate the death penalty altogether.

According to the ministry's plan, as of this month, all its prisons, detention houses, reform schools, rehabilitation centers and drug treatment centers will be opened to the public at least once a month. It is part of the ministry's plan to introduce the prison system to the public.

On May 2, 2001, Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) vowed to replace the death penalty with life sentences during a press conference. Since his promise was made, the total number of death row inmates has fallen.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) endorsed Chen's proposal, but said that the death penalty should continue until a well-organized amendment to the law is established and passed.

"We are moving to abolish executions and I agree it is the right thing to do," Wang said. "But at this moment, we should be more sensitive and careful; it does not mean we can give [the death penalty] up immediately."

Taiwan has 22 prisons, 18 detention houses, 18 detention facilities for juveniles, three juvenile reform schools, four vocational training institutes and 17 treatment centers for drug addicts. Altogether, these facilities hold 55,476 inmates or detainees, according to figures updated by the ministry last month.

While the ministry is opening prison doors to the public, execution grounds will remain closed at this time.

"For security reasons, we are not planning to introduce execution grounds to visitors," said Huang Fang-chin (黃芳進), deputy warden of the Kaohsiung Second Prison. "Initially, we will invite inmates' families and friends as the first group of visitors this month, but families of those inmates who are banned from having visitors will not be invited."

Huang said that most people think prisons are dark and dirty places where inmates are not treated as human beings.

"This is incorrect. Come visit us and you will realize that what you see in the movies should remain in the movies," Huang said.

Two Weeks to Death

Currently, for a death penalty to be carried out, an execution order from the court where the final instance of the case was heard -- usually the Supreme Court -- to the Ministry of Justice's Department of Prosecution is required. After the department approves the order, it falls to the minister of justice to make the final decision to carry out the execution. Usually, the entire process takes no more than two weeks from when the penalty is issued by a court. Once the minister of justice approves the order, prosecutors must carry out the execution within three days.

According to statistics from the ministry, 157 inmates have been executed since 1996. Most of these were for convictions on charges such as murder, kidnapping, robbing, rape, blackmail and drug dealing. The same statistics show that all 157 of the executed inmates were males, 64 percent had criminal records and 42 percent of them were aged between 30 and 40.

In Taiwan, executions are carried out by prison guards. The guards kill the inmates by shooting, aiming at the inmate's heart. Executions usually take place close to dawn. Guards rouse the prisoner who is to be executed and take him to the "location."