TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The second trial for Chen Chia-ying (陳嘉瑩) began on Monday (May 11) after she was sentenced to death in February for dragging a police station chief to his death. Chen killed the head of Tucheng Precinct's Chingshui Police Station while trying to evade a roadside inspection in 2025. Under Taiwan's judicial system, a death sentence in a first trial does not guarantee the same outcome in appeals.
In Taiwan, when a death sentence is imposed, the trial court must automatically refer the case to the appellate court, regardless of whether an appeal is filed. Under the Citizen Judges Act (國民法官法), major criminal cases are heard by a bench of nine members: six citizen judges and three professional judges. A death sentence requires at least six votes, including at least one professional judge.
The case has renewed public debate over capital punishment in Taiwan, where strong support for the death penalty coexists with growing legal scrutiny over its implementation. A February 2026 survey by National Chung Cheng University's Crime Research Center (國立中正大學犯罪研究中心) found that 84.67% of respondents opposed abolishing the death penalty, the highest level in a decade.
More than 66% of respondents said they were "completely opposed" to abolition, the survey found. The poll results come as Taiwan's courts continue to grapple with high-profile capital cases and questions about sentencing consistency.
Taiwan's approach to capital punishment differs from neighboring Asian countries. Singapore carried out 17 executions in 2025, the highest annual figure in more than two decades. Japan also retains capital punishment and carried out its first execution in nearly three years in 2025, when convicted serial killer Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the "Twitter killer," was hanged.
Public support for capital punishment remains above 80% in Japan, and the government views it as necessary for the most heinous crimes. In Taiwan, the debate extends beyond executions to questions about sentencing and parole.
Under Taiwan's current system, life imprisonment may still allow the possibility of parole after lengthy incarceration. Ministry of Justice (法務部) statistics show inmates serving life sentences spent an average of 17.9 years in prison before parole. Between January and March 2026, 2,428 prisoners were granted parole across all sentence categories.
Supporters of the death penalty argue that the current parole system weakens public confidence in sentencing. Legal scholars and human rights advocates counter that Taiwan should continue strengthening procedural protections and reducing the risk of wrongful convictions.
Amid ongoing debate, some legislators have discussed introducing judicial caning, modeled after Singapore's system, for crimes such as large-scale fraud and child abuse. Supporters argue the measure could serve as an additional punitive option, while critics have raised human rights concerns.
The issue remains divisive in Taiwan. Strong public support for capital punishment coexists with growing legal and human rights scrutiny over how the death penalty should be implemented. Chen's retrial is expected to continue in the coming months. ◼