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MOJ to review caning proposal

Minister of Justice Morley Shih (施茂林) said yesterday that caning has gradually been discarded in democratic societies, but discussions would be conducted to determine whether it should be introduced into the judicial system.

Shih said the ministry would hold a meeting in a month to solicit the views of experts and to discuss whether caning should be introduced as a form of punishment, particularly for convicted rapists, based on a variety of factors such as human rights protection and social values.

His comments came in response to a suggestion made by several legislators last week that serial rapists should be caned in addition to serving prison terms as a means of remedying their deviant behavior.

The legislators made the suggestion in the wake of the rape of a medical student who was abducted near the MRT's Jientan Station in Shilin on March 11. Two suspects have been arrested, one of whom is also suspected of raping a 60-year-old female taxi driver shortly before his arrest last Saturday.

Shih said the ministry would also decide within a month whether the three-month assessment period for electronic monitoring of paroled rapists should be shortened to less than two weeks.

Last November the ministry approved a decree requiring paroled rapists to wear electronic devices that monitor their behavior. However, the devices are to be used only after a three-month assessment period from the date of a rapist's release on parole.

Several lawmakers have questioned the long gap, with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shih-hsiung (羅世雄) saying that it could put people at risk of falling prey to repeat offenders.
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