Go To Content
:::

Academy for the Judiciary, Ministry of Justice:Back to homepage

:::

History

  • Publication Date:
  • Last updated:2024-11-12
  • View count:5573

Formerly known as the Judges and Prosecutors Training Institute (JPTI) of the Ministry of Justice, the institute was reorganized to be the Academy for the Judiciary in 2013. The precursor of the Academy was originally founded by the Justice Department of the Beijing Government and called the Training Institute of Judicial Personnel (1914-1921). Afterwards in 1926, the Judicial Talent Reserve Institute was formed. During the reign of the Nationalist government in Guangzhou, a school for educating judges was set up but later discontinued. After the national government relocated to Nanking, the Judicial Administration Department (part of the Judicial Yuan) established a judges training institute in 1929. In 1943, when the Judicial Administration Department became a subordinate agency of the Executive Yuan, the institute was terminated due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, also commonly known as the War of Resistance against Japan. As a result, in 1944 to 1948, the Central School of Politics (predecessor of the National Chengchi University) formed a program offering instruction and training to educate qualified judicial officials. Moreover, at the same time, the senior-grade judicial division of the public servant training department (established in August 1940) also initiated a program for individuals who have passed the senior-grade civil service examinations for judicial officials. After the government relocated to Taiwan, the Judicial Administration Department introduced and implemented various programs (1950-1954), offering short-term two-month practical training courses for former judicial officials from Mainland China and prospective judicial officials who have passed official examinations.

  In early 1955, the former Judicial Administration Department obtained approval from the Executive Yuan to set up the Judges and Prosecutors Training Institute (JPTI), organizing and providing educational programs for judicial officials at the original premise where similar courses were previously offered (No. 128 Chongqing South Road, Section 1, Taipei City). The JPTI was established with a particular vision in mind and its purpose is to strengthen the judicial organization, improve judicial affairs, and offer courses complementing the examination system. In June 1965, the Institute found the building on Chongqing South Road too small for its purposes and was given permission to move to the old building that previously accommodated the Tamkang Arts and Science College, located on No. 129 Boai Road, Taipei City. After the building was repaired and renovated, JPTI officially moved in during April of the following year. Over the years, the organization continued to expand, requiring more space and newer facilities. As such, plans were set into motion to construct a brand new site on Xinhai Road for the organization (No. 81 Xinhai Road, Section 3, Taipei City). The new location consists of three buildings: two five-floor buildings housing the teaching and administration divisions, respectively, as well as a brand-new ten-floor dormitory. JPTI (now the Academy for the Judiciary) was officially relocated to Xinhai Road in June 1983.

  The Academy for the Judiciary is directly under the Ministry of Justice and was established in accordance with the Organization Act of the Academy for the Judiciary, Ministry of Justice.  Headed by the President of the Academy, the organization encompasses various divisions including the Chief Secretary's Office, Academic Affairs Department, Student Affairs Department, Secretariat, Personnel Office, Accounting Office, and the Crime Prevention Research Center.

  Driven by the mission of cultivating qualified judges and prosecutors, the Academy is a professional organization that offers educational programs for judges, prosecutors, and legal affairs officials. Promulgated on February 22, 1989, Article 27 of the “Statue Governing Judicial Personnel Affairs” stipulates that the Academy is responsible for educating judges and prosecutors as well as determining the policies and guidelines of such programs and thus in charge of establishing an independent inter-agency academy for educating judges and prosecutors. The Academy is governed by the Judges and Prosecutors Training Committee, in which the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors Office serve as the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, respectively. The statute also delineates that the Judicial Yuan, Examination Yuan, and Executive Yuan shall each appoint members to the Committee to offer expertise in order to improve the judicial educational program. Besides educating qualified judges and prosecutors, the Academy is also responsible for cultivating other legal affairs personnel. In this regard, special courses and curriculum have been designed for law clerks, probation officers, and criminal correction personnel. Classes have also been given on topics ranging from judicial accounting and judicial statistics to various information technology courses. With the exception of law clerk and probation officer courses as pre-job training programs, the remaining are all mainly on-the-job training programs. Since 1967, courses offered to judges and prosecutors have all been designed to incorporate practical hands-on research and instruction.

     In an effort to strengthen the professional competence of legal personnel across agencies, in 1982, the Executive Yuan entrusted the Academy to provide judicial education and instruction for all government officials with job duties involving legal matters. Accordingly, beginning in February 1982, the Academy initiated and provided specialized courses for legal personnel, targeting employees in charge of receiving and responding to petitions and complaints as well as prospective employees who have passed senior-grade judicial personnel exams. In addition, the organization has also been entrusted by executive agencies to formulate and offer specialized instructional programs on the settlement of disputes for township secretaries, legal research programs for personnel working in economic and agricultural agencies. Since May 1993, in accordance with an amendment to the Attorney Regulation Act, the Academy has also organized pre-job instructional programs for attorneys-in-training. As the scope of instructional and educational programs offered by the Academy continues to expand, the courses given also increase in number, and as such, the Academy will continue to endeavor to design and offer programs that cater to and meet current needs and demands.

 

Attachment List

Go Top