What is the purpose of Family Survey Form? Will the information provided affect the inmate?

Correctional facilities will send to the family members of inmates a survey form to understand more about the physical and mental conditions and family situations of inmates, which will be used as reference in determining the rehabilitation program for each inmate. Information provided in the form will not produce any adverse effect on the inmate.

What are the rules for inmate smoking on the premises of correctional facilities?

1. Correctional facilities will prohibit pregnant inmates, inmates who are under 20 years of age, and inmates who are not allowed to smoke according to Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, Prison Act or other corrections regulations to smoke. Other inmates are allowed to smoke up to 10 cigarettes a day during the time and at the place designated by the facility.
2. Although inmates are allowed to smoke cigarettes inside correctional facilities, the fact is smoking is harmful to your health. Based on the responsibility of inmate education and edification, correctional facilities still should educate inmates about and publicize the hazards of smoking, provide inmates with health education, and actively encourage inmates to quit smoking.
3. Cigarettes should be sold by the cooperative in the facility or purchased by the facility from outside on behalf of inmates. Cigarettes may not be sent in or brought in from outside. Correctional facilities may also limit the brands and quantities of cigarettes as deemed appropriate by them.
4. Pregnant inmates, inmates who should be prohibited from smoking according to law, and inmates who do not smoke as indicated in the survey form may not buy cigarettes. Other inmates are allowed to buy 5 packs of cigarettes every two weeks. The money spent on cigarettes will be deducted from inmate’s safekeeping account or labor income.

What kind of help can inmates get when they enter a correctional facility with no one to take care of their children or relatives?

The Agency of Corrections in its directions and announcements to correctional facilities instruct the facilities to inform newly admitted inmates about assistance available for their minor children and conduct related survey, and publicize the matter from time to time. For inmates who indicate in “Survey of Prisoners, Detainees or Persons under Rehabilitative Disposition Regarding Children Needing Care Assistance” that they have children under 12 years of age, facilities should question them further the current condition of the children, explain to them the purpose of survey, the working process of social services and the legal responsibility of parents who are negligent in taking care of their children. Facilities should conduct interview of individual inmates to understand more about how their children are cared for in the family and ensure the safety of those children. If the facility knows an inmate has minor children who need care assistance, the facility should fill out a child protection case report and send the report to the local social services authority at where the child is located via
https://ecare.mohw.gov.tw/ or by fax. Inmates can also write a report to apply for assistance if they have children or relatives at home who need care assistance while they are incarcerated.

Can inmates bring children into a correctional facility? How will their meals and living necessities be taken care of?

1. According to the Prison Act and the Detention Act, the prison (detention center) may allow female inmates to bring their children under three years of age with them if so requested by the inmates. Where the remaining sentence of a female inmate arriving at the prison or already being imprisoned is more than two months and she requests to bring her children under three years of age with her, the prison may submit relevant information to the social welfare authority of the municipal or county (city) government at the location of the child’s household registration. If the social welfare authority deems that it is in the best interest of the children after an evaluation, the prison may allow the request. Children residing in prison with their mothers may stay until they are three years old at the most. However, if it is deemed by the social welfare authority that it is in the best interest of the children to stay in the prison longer, the prison may extend their stay until the children reach three years and six months of age.
2. The food, clothing, and necessary items for children of inmates brought into prison must be prepared by inmates. If an inmate is unable to provide such necessities, they may be provided by the correctional facility.
3. The Agency of Corrections teams up with private enterprises to promote the “Cooperation Program to Improve the Lives of Children Brought into Prison by Their Mothers.” The program assists correctional facilities in improving the lives of children brought into prison by their mothers, and takes inventory of the space, facilities and equipment of nursery in each correctional facility in reference to the Standards for Establishing Children and Youth Welfare Institutes to ensure the nursery at each facility has basic hardware, software and teaching aids (materials).

What can vegetarians do after they enter a correctional facility?

If an inmate is a vegetarian because of his or her nationality or religious belief, the inmate can give the facility the reasons and apply for vegetarian meals. If approved, the facility’s kitchen will prepare vegetarian meals for the inmate.

What can inmates do if they do not have money to hire a lawyer?

1. Inmates can ask the Legal Aid Foundation (LAF, with stations in each city and county) to provide assistance.
2. Legal aid services provided by LAF include:
   1. Legal counseling (interview in person, over the phone or through video conference).
   2. Represent clients in lawsuits (legal counsel).
   3. Write legal pleadings.
   4. Assist in the mediation of legal disputes.
3. Eligibility for legal aid:
   Based on financial condition (assets and income) under a certain amount (meet LAD’s financial eligibility criteria).
4. LAF will not review the financial condition of the following applicants:
   1. Low, middle-to-low income households; families in hardship; debtors that meet the provisions of Consumer Debt Clearance Act.
   2. Criminal defense/juvenile assistance cases: Suspects of felony punishable by a minimum sentence of not less than three years’ imprisonment or suspects under trial in the first instance of high court, defendants who are unable to make a complete statement during investigation or trial process due to impairment or deficiencies of neurological system or structure, or psychological or mental functions; defendants with indigenous identity during investigation or trial process.
5. If a person is in prison or held in detention that he or she is unable to apply for legal aid service in person, the person can fill out an application and send it together with relevant documents to a local branch of the LAF, or sign a letter of authorization, entrusting an agent to apply for legal aid on his or her behalf. It is best that the agent is familiar with the applicant’s case for that will help the review committee understand more about the case.
6. Documents required for application:
   1. Applicant’s ID; if applied through an agent, the agent should bring the ID of both the applicant and the agent.
   2. Complete household registration transcript or household registry issued in the past three months (if necessary, submit relevant household registration transcript).
   3. In case of low-income, medium-to-low income household or family in hardship, bring supporting documents for the year.
   4. If the applicant does not have any supporting documents mentioned in C, bring the List of Properties and Income Schedule for income tax return of the most recent year of the entire household (including applicant, parents, spouse, children and other family members sharing the same properties and living together). (Applicants must apply to the National Taxation Bureau (toll-free number: 0800-000-321) for the lists of properties and income).
   5. Case related information.
7. Notice of legal aid application result: After a LAF office accepts an application, it takes about 3-5 working days for it to complete the review and the office will mail a notice to the applicant afterwards. If the applicant is dissatisfied with the review result, the applicant can file an appeal in 30 days after receiving the notice.
8. LAF will grant legal aid up to “three cases” to the same applicant in the same year.
9. Costs borne by legal aid recipients are as follows:
   1. If LAF grants “full aid” to an applicant, the aid recipient does not need to pay attorney’s fees.
   2. If the LAF committee decides the grant of “partial aid” because the applicant’s financial condition has improved slightly, the aid recipient will be asked to pay a portion of the legal fees and costs.
   3. If the applicant’s case incurs suit related expenses while receiving aid or after the case is over (e.g. court costs, witness fees, examination fees, government fees), the applicant can apply to LAF for payment subsidy and LAF’s review committee will decide whether to grant the request or not.

Is there hot water for shower at correctional facilities?

Currently correctional facilities provide hot water shower for inmates every weekday of winter season (from December 1 every year to the end of February the following year). During other time periods (from March 1 to November 30 every year), facilities provide hot water shower twice a week or on days when the temperature falls below 20°C to maintain the health and sanitation needs of inmates. For juvenile, female and elderly inmates over 65 years of age and inmates in patient ward, hot water shower is available every weekday of the year.

Can inmates watch TV or listen to radio at correctional facilities?

If permitted by the prison or detention center, prisoners or defendants can keep personal radio, TV or audio-video equipment.

How many inmates are held in a cell? Is there restriction on the use of water or electricity?

1. As the partitions and architectural design of every correctional facility differ, how many inmates live in the same cell depends on the size of the cell.
2. To practice energy conservation, help inmates form the good habit of cherishing resources, and prevent waste of water and electricity, every correctional facility has its rules for when water, electric fans and lights are available or on.
3. Currently every housing area in the correctional facility is installed with a ceiling fan, exhaust fan or other equipment to promote ventilation. Water is made available at fixed hours in view of the living needs of inmates. The housing areas are also equipped with water bucket to storage of water.

Are toilets in correctional facilities squat type or sitting type? Do they have partitions?

In consideration of the environmental hygiene of housing areas and prevention of spread of communicable diseases, toilets in the housing areas of correctional facilities are squat type. However some housing areas have sitting toilet for use by elderly, ill or disabled inmates. In addition, toilets are properly partitioned to ensure the privacy of inmates and the order or security of the correctional facility.

What is inmate’s daily life in correctional facility?

1. To encourage inmates to reform and adapt to social life, correctional facilities furnish inmates with work, edification (understand the situations and needs of individual inmates based on kindness and empathy and provide them with suitable correction and guidance), provision (furnish sufficient nutrition in meals for health needs), sanitation (furnish sanitary facilities for the purpose of maintaining inmates’ health, and constantly provide them with health education, teach them to observe public and personal hygiene, and develop good habits), and medical treatment. The everyday life of inmates is arranged in accordance with the aforementioned components of work, edification, provision, sanitation and medical treatment.
2. Inmates live a regular life in the correctional facilities. Their daily routines consist of exercise, meals and break time. The facilities will also arrange work, edification, education, guidance, and recreational activities or vocational training. During weekends, inmates move around in their housing area, tidying up their cells, reading newspapers, watching TV or listening to music.
3. Defendants who choose not to participate in workshop work, they stay in their rooms most of the time to read newspapers, write letters or pleadings, listen to radio or watch TV, unless they have court appearance, exercise, doctor’s appointment or visitors.

Do inmates get bullied inside correctional facilities? What can they do if they get bullied?

1. Correctional facilities strictly prohibit bullying, and will punish the perpetrator and comfort and counsel the victim if bullying happens between inmates.
2. An inmate who is being bullied can report directly to the correctional staff or drop a letter in the opinion box. Upon receiving a report, correctional officers will immediately find out the truth, and take necessary actions according to rules if the report is found true.

What to do if somebody claims he or she is a staff of the correctional facility and that he or she can help an inmate leave the facility early if we pay?

If somebody calls to claim he or she works inside a correctional facility and can help inmates leave the facility early, but it takes money to pull some strings, such claim and deed are absolutely false and illegal, and it is a phone scam. If you receive such a call, call the correctional facility to verify or contact the anti-corruption office of the correctional facility to file a complaint.

How do we know how our loved ones are doing in the correctional facility?

1. Friends and relatives of inmates can learn how inmates are doing in the correctional facility through visitation, correspondence and family visit day.
2. Every correctional facility will arrange family visit activities on a regular basis, during which, the facility will assign staff to guide the families of inmates. Inmate’s families can understand more about the living conditions of inmates through such activity.
3. When an inmate is hospitalized outside the facility, violates rules or is transferred to another prison, the correctional facility will notify inmate’s families.