Amnesty applies to 25,670 felons

Minister of Justice Morley Shih (施茂林) announced yesterday that 10,523 prisoners will be released from jail on July 16, with another 15,147 to be freed soon thereafter as the commutation bill passed by the legislature earlier this month comes into effect.

Shih made the remarks during the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.

He said that a total of 25,670 prisoners were eligible for sentence reductions.

Among the 10,523, a total of 7,432 had been sentenced for drug use.

Shih said that to prevent recidivism in drug users following their release, the ministry would invite them to attend drug rehabilitation programs.

The ministry and law enforcement authorities would also monitor their activities after they leave prison, he said.

Shih said the ministry had recently held two opinion polls, which found that while more than 70 percent of respondents supported sentence reductions for individuals who had committed minor crimes, 80 percent said the government should work to prevent society from being adversely affected by the amnesty.

Shih said two main factors were behind the respondents' resistance to the amnesty bill -- security concerns and the perceived unfairness to victims of crime.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) told the meeting that the ministry should cooperate with the National Police Agency and health authorities to ensure that the mass release does not adversely impact society.

Chang also said the ministry should make rehabilitation programs available to drug addicts.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on April 24 proposed an amnesty to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 228 Incident and the 20th anniversary of the lifting of martial law.

Acting on Chen's directive, the Cabinet drafted a commutation bill and referred it to the legislature for approval. Although the Democratic Progressive Party supported the Cabinet version of the bill, it was the version proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party that was passed by the legislature on June 15 after consensus was reached.

The Cabinet-drafted version advocated for the early release of individuals whose sentences were one-year or less, compared with the opposition's version, which made the amnesty applicable to people with sentences of 18 months or less.