The National Science and Technology Council in Taiwan (R.O.C.) sponsors distinguished international scholars to visit Taiwan, fostering academic exchange, inspiring local researchers, and informing policy improvements. This year, Dr. Rely Vîlcică an expert in criminal justice reform and comparative justice with a professional background as a judge in Romania, was awarded this prestigious grant to visit Taiwan from March 16 to March 23.
During her visit, Dr. Vîlcică delivered two lectures on prosecutorial bail reform, using Philadelphia as a case study and drawing from her ongoing research collaboration on bail reform with Ph.D. student Sarah Jones and broader research project on prosecutor-led reform in Philadelphia, co-led with Dr. Jeffrey T. Ward. These talks were hosted by two of Taiwan's leading academic institutions for criminal justice research—Central Police University and National Chung Cheng University. Dr. Vîlcică highlighted issues associated with the cash bail system and its contributing role to the mass incarceration crisis in the United States. Drawing from her expertise in comparative justice, she noted that Taiwan and the US are among the very few countries around the world to rely on a cash bail system to determine the pretrial liberty status of persons accused of crimes. Her insights and recommendations on alternatives to cash bail were well received by faculty and students. Yi-Chun Yu, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Crime Prevention and Corrections at Central Police University, remarked that Dr. Vîlcică's talk provided valuable inspiration for new research directions, especially given the limited scholarship on bail reform in Taiwan.
Beyond academia, Dr. Vîlcică was also invited to speak at Taiwan's National Agency of Corrections, Ministry of Justice, where she discussed parole issues, drawing from her extensive research on parole in Pennsylvania, including the 2008-2010 moratorium on parole releases. General-Director Hui-Huang Chou, along with 60 senior administrators, attended the talk and praised her policy-focused research, particularly given the challenges she and her Temple colleagues at that time—the late Professors John Goldkamp and Kay Harris—faced while producing policy recommendations for parole reform in Pennsylvania. General-Director Chou appreciated her comparative analysis of U.S. and Taiwanese parole policies, noting that several of her recommendations could inform Taiwan's ongoing efforts to refine its parole system. He specifically acknowledged Taiwan's challenge in establishing a robust risk assessment mechanism for parole evaluations. Dr. Vîlcică emphasized that while risk assessment tools can be valuable, parole is ultimately about offering incarcerated individuals hope and facilitating positive changes and reintegration into society.
During the discussion, the Director-General also sought Dr. Vîlcică's perspective on Taiwan's gradual move toward suspending executions for death-row inmates and adopting life sentences without parole as an alternative to capital punishment. In response, Dr. Vîlcică advocated for policies that provide all incarcerated individuals with the possibility of parole. While acknowledging that parole is not a perfect system, she emphasized its core principle: providing incarcerated individuals with a structured pathway to transition back to society. She encouraged correctional authorities to fully utilize parole as a reintegration tool that balances considerations for public safety and successful rehabilitation. She further highlighted the challenges of the aging prison populations in the U.S., where long-term incarcerated individuals account for a significant portion of correctional expenditures, underscoring the urgency of addressing mass incarceration and the critical role that parole and compassionate releases can play in managing the aging prison/correctional population.
In addition to her lectures, the Agency of Corrections arranged for Dr. Vîlcică to visit Taipei Prison to gain firsthand insight into Taiwan's correctional system. Deputy Warden Hsu and session chiefs welcomed her and provided a comprehensive tour of key facilities, including the control center, housing units, factories, workshops, and medical clinics. She also had the rare opportunity to engage in conversations with incarcerated individuals working in various prison workshops. This visit reflected the Agency's high regard for Dr. Vîlcică's expertise and their confidence that her insights could contribute to ongoing improvements in Taiwan's correctional system. The Department of Criminal Justice is proud to see our faculty's research making an impact beyond the United States. We celebrate Dr. Vîlcică's achievements and look forward to fostering similar international exchanges in the future.