Executive Yuan Seeking to Increase Maximum Wrongful Death Sentence 政院修刑法 過失致死罪最多可處10年徒刑

In the cases of major tragedies including the Taroko Express derailment and Chengzhongcheng fire, prosecutors charge defendants with wrongful death. The Executive Yuan is seeking to change sentence to 10 years.

A woman surnamed Huang was charged with wrongful death in the wake of the Chengzhongcheng fire, while a contractor surnamed Lee was charged with wrongful death in the wake of the Taroko Express derailment. In Taiwan, wrongful death carries a maximum sentence of just five years. On the 25th, lawmakers held a public hearing on this issue.

Chen Meng-li, Prosecutor, Taiwan High Court："By increasing criminal penalties in major cases, we are at the same time providing increased protection for the lives of everyone else in the community."

Peng Hsing-ming. Director, Criminal Department, Judicial Yuan："What is considered an appropriate level of criminal penalty changes over time with shifts in social perception. There is no opposition to the direction we're heading in. We only hope that lawmakers can keep the people and legal ramifications in mind throughout the legislative process."

To meet social expectations that the punishment should fit the crime, the Executive Yuan has drafted revisions to Article 276 of the Criminal Code to increase the penalty for wrongful death to imprisonment of one to seven years, and up to 10 years for "serious" cases resulting in three or more deaths. However, legal experts say death or the number of deaths in cases should not be used as discourse standards.

Hsieh Yu-wei, Law Professor, National Taiwan University："I personally think this "three or above" criterion completely destroys the legal system by taking away judicial discretion."

While legal experts generally support raising criminal penalties, they say the degree of negligence or gross negligence in a case needs to be taken into consideration when determining the "severity" of said case. The experts also say in cases where multiple offenses are committed in one act, the most severe offense should be used to determine criminal liability, with sentences increased by 1.5 times.

高雄城中城大火，黃姓女子被檢方認定有過失致死嫌疑，列為被告；台鐵太魯閣號出軌，肇事承包商李義祥，也因涉犯過失致死罪嫌，遭到起訴，但現行法規，"過失致死"刑責，最重只有5年，引起各界質疑刑度過輕，而立法院25號則舉辦公聽會，探討過失致死罪的爭議。

台灣高等檢察署檢察官 陳孟黎表示：「情形嚴重的行為人，我們來科以較高的刑度，我們認為可以宣示，加重保護，社會共同生活其他人，生命法益的一種立法方式。」

司法院刑事廳長 彭幸鳴表示：「刑度隨著社會觀感的要求作一個調整，那我們這個方向，是並無反對的。那我們只是希望，在這個立法過程當中，也要去想到可能觸及到法律的多數老百姓。」

為了符合"罪責相當"，並兼顧社會期待，行政院日前拍板修法加重刑度，明定刑法第276條"過失致死罪"，情節重大者，處1年以上、7年以下有期徒刑，而情節重大且導致3人以上死亡，最重可處10年刑期，但有法界學者則認為，"死亡情形"不應做為論處標準。

台大法律系教授 謝煜偉表示：「這個我認為，這其實是完全破壞了立法體系，到底這個3人以上，它其實就會完全去限縮了法官裁量的空間。」

法界專家學者，普遍支持提高刑度，但如何定義"情節重大"，應該理解成行為疏失、魯莽、冒進的嚴重程度，導致"重大過失"，另外，針對想像競合犯，也建議從一重處斷，且得以加重其刑1/2。