Taiwan Executive Yuan approves amendments to Juvenile Justice Act

The Executive Yuan has approved proposed amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act in Taiwan, aimed at enhancing victim rights and tightening parole conditions for juvenile offenders involved in serious crimes.

The revisions introduce a system for victims of juvenile criminal cases to participate in litigation procedures, while applying principles of proportionality to ensure these rights do not hinder juvenile development. For serious offenses, such as intentional homicide or crimes carrying a minimum sentence of ten years or more, the threshold for parole will increase from one-third of the sentence served to one-half.

Additionally, the amendments address cases involving adult-juvenile accomplices. To prevent evidence gaps in cases where adults instigate or assist minors, prosecutors will be empowered to direct police to escort suspects to the prosecutor's office for necessary questioning to preserve evidence. Due to differing opinions between the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Yuan, two versions of the amendments regarding accomplice procedures and parole will be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation.