Why Did President Chen Declare An Amnesty?

Question

This week in accordance with a bill initiated and sonsored by Chen and the DPP - nearly 10,000(!) prisoners (mostly drug addicts, burglars, and those involved in fraud rings) who only served half of their prison sentences have been released.
Why would Chen Shui-bian do such a thing?

Answer 1

According to the Presidential Office, these people were released with the hopes that they might start anew. By "start anew," I don't mean to say start anew recommitting old crimes (as some of these former inmates have already begun to do, according to news,) but rather to start anew on a clean slate, and move towards a crime-free life. Good intentions on the part of the President and the DPP.

Also according to other news circles, this is the first time in 16 years that such an amnesty took place again. It was done to mark the 60th year after the 228 Incident, and also to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the lifting of Martial Law by former President Chiang Ching-kuo (前總統 蔣經國先生.)

Basically, this is it. Your question, however, begs for more. Somewhere between the lines, I see another question: Is this move wise, or what? My answer to this is, only time will tell. Even as I write these words, some of them inmates have already begun to backslide. According to news, five of these former inmates were found dead this afternoon due to drug overdose. Another one was coaxed (no pun intended) by friends to take drug injections, until he passed out on a toilet floor in Hsinchuang.

I don't mean to imply that President Chen's move was a thoughtless one. It's just that there are always two sides on every situation, and this is no exception. For the majority of the thankful inmates, I believe that they will set straight this time; but the remainder of them are just bad nuts. You just can't force anyone to change no matter how good your intentions are. I wonder what the victims of their crimes must be thinking right now??
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I hate to say this (because of my political convictions), but Alex is right. All politicians are like that.

Answer 2

Mainly to free up space.
There were too many people in jail for minor crimes and it was very congested.

As many of them were first timers (read in the after release interviews) A lot of them will be trying real hard to go straight and the addicts will be monitored. It is a good move as not everyone will repeat their mistake.

Early release of Non violent prisoners is practiced in many parts of the world:
UK:
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/06/some-uk-inmates-set-for-early-release.php

Answer 3

so people will think the DDP are kind and they'll vote for them next year. man, it's all about the election