How to Promote the Future Development and Transformation of Community Corrections System in Taiwan Abstract The cost of Community Corrections in our country is less than one-tenth of the cost of Institutional Corrections, so it is reasonable to promote its effectiveness. However, the Community Corrections system has been hesitate to move forward by various practical difficulties. In view of this, the study compares the current Community Corrections system in Taiwan with the major foreign countries (the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea).
Then, the comparison tables which focusing on three major levels of regulations, business and organizational design was made after researcher has a review of the literature. The “Questionnaire” concisely points out the characteristics of the five countries with an outline, conducts a questionnaire survey to all current Probation Officers, and then conducts statistical analysis on the returned questionnaire. However, the implementation of the “Questionnaire on the Future Development and Transformation of the Community Corrections System” was not satisfactory.
Only 117 of the total 210 Probation Officers responded (55.7%), indicating that a considerable proportion of them is not sensitive to the reform of the system. Most of the response samples were women (80, 68.4%), accounting for 49.1% of the female Probation Officers (80:163); 37 male response samples, accounting for 78.7% of the male Probation Officers (37: 47), showing that male are more concerned about system innovation than female. Secondly, we can know from the analysis of sample age and seniority, 65% of those over 40 years old and 78% of those over 10 years of working experience.
It shows that the majority of people in the Community Corrections system are more concerned about the transformation and development of the system are older and veterans. In terms of professional background, “Crime Prevention” is the most (34, 29.1%), followed by “Jurisprudence” (32, 27.4%). It shows that people with a traditional background directly related to Criminal Justice are more concerned about the transformation and development of the system. In contrast, other departments may lack bureaucratic organization system and legal knowledge, and thus lack the sensitivity of institutional transformation and development.
After discussion by scholars and experts, we have reached a conclusion of the development and transformation direction of the Community Corrections system. This article also suggests the following main axis as the direction: 1. Draft a special law for Community Corrections as soon as possible to - IV -