1.In light of the current high percentage of money laundering (such as providing dummy accounts) and fraud (like small-scale online shopping scams) cases among those serving community service, which account for over 60%, our office is actively enhancing the effectiveness of community rehabilitation for those serving alternative sentences. Starting from August 15, 2025, we have invited Hsinchu Prison to conduct educational rehabilitation sessions at our office every month. Liu Han-Lin, the head of the education section, personally delivered a presentation titled “Living with Responsibility and Dignity – Rebuilding Life through Community Service,” where he discussed the “pain and management norms of collective confinement,” the “negative impacts of institutional treatment on detainees,” and the “positive power of living with responsibility and dignity through community service.” He encouraged those present who are about to begin their community labor that this process is not only a way to atone for past mistakes but also an opportunity to reconnect with society, rediscover oneself, and start anew. Every drop of sweat serves as a bridge to rebuild trust, and every contribution marks the beginning of a new life, repairing the past with one's own hands and creating a future through action.
2.Community service involves providing unpaid labor as an alternative measure for sentences of less than six months of imprisonment, detention, or fines, serving as a form of reduced penalty within the criminal justice system. This approach not only helps short-term offenders avoid exposure to more complex and serious criminal groups in prison but also addresses prison overcrowding while enabling individuals to maintain their roles in the community and family.
3.Our office is currently selecting 16 executing agencies for community service based on legal criteria and will convene a business liaison and review meeting in September 2025, aiming to jointly discuss ways to enhance management techniques and improve compliance rates.
4.We also urge those requesting community service to avoid a mindset of luck or evasion of punishment and to cherish the opportunity to fulfill community service while maintaining their work and family functions. Failure to comply without valid reasons or violations of service regulations will result in the revocation of their community service eligibility. If they are summoned again and fail to pay fines in full or if the case does not allow for fines to be converted, they will be promptly incarcerated, facing “deprivation of freedom and collective management.” We hope that at this moment, when there is still a choice between “freedom” and “incarceration,” individuals will correct their compliance attitude, refrain from illegal actions, and face penalties with determination, using their “repentant hearts” and commitment to complete community service as a foundation for their next chapter of renewal.