Taiwan’s repeat DUI offenders get ‘corpse cleaning’ as punishment

Repeat DUI offenders in Taiwan will get an unorthodox punishment by working in the morgue to help clean up corpses as part of their community service, the city’s latest move to curb its increasing and often deadly DUI cases, reports Taiwan’s United Daily News.

Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan

The new policy will be implemented as early as next month, according to the Taipei government.

Lin Meina, secretary general of the Taiwan Against Drunk Driving association, said giving these DUI offenders lectures had little effect in the past. Many Taiwanese are superstitious about ‘seeing death’, putting these offenders in a situation that deals with death directly, at least is a “core-shaking educational experience” to help prevent drunk driving in Taiwan.

In Taipei, out of 100 offenders caught driving under the influence of alcohol, 16 are repeat offenders, and a few have at least five prior convictions, the report said.

According to figures released by Taipei Police Bureau, there have been 23,751 DUI cases over the past 10 years, which comprises 16% of all cases that led to revoking of a driver’s license.

The government said it has reached an agreement with the city’s prosecution team. Offenders will be ordered to assist with cleaning duties in the morgue, but “won’t see the bodies directly,” the government said.

In addition to sending these repeat offenders to morgues, the city’s Directorate General of Highways also enlisted other punishments such as sending offenders down to a charity group called Genesis Social Welfare Foundation to visit patients in vegetative state, the report added.

Thailand also has similar penalties for DUI offenders, writes the Daily Telegraph.