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Updated Thursday, September 10, 2009 9:14 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Former first lady's imprisonment issues

In the months that followed, however, the Chen camp accepted the driver's explanation that the event was a genuine accident. The details of the incident remain somewhat murky, but since 1985, Wu Shu-jen has been confined to a wheelchair. Those who are paralyzed often suffer from weak overall health and Wu is often in need of medical care. Wu's appearances in court were frequently interrupted by fainting spells and emergency trips to the hospital. Many in Taiwan are no doubt wondering: How could Wu Shu-jen serve a prison term?

On the one hand the judicial system doesn't want to be seen as cruel. Television images of an emaciated Wu being wheeled into jail would be fodder for the Chen's family's remaining supporters. If she were to suffer some medical emergency in jail many of her supporters would be up in arms. On the other hand, Taiwan's leaders are likely keen to demonstrate that no one is above the law. Should Wu escape jail, many will feel justice has been cheated.

While no officials agreed to go on the record with The China Post, off the record, Ministry of Justice officials say Taiwan does have a prison in Taichung that is capable of handling the special needs of handicapped convicts. But they add the caveat that a prison can refuse to accept an inmate if they

believe their facility is unable to properly care for them.

After the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990, jails and prisons in the U.S. were forced to pay greater attention to the needs of the disabled, or face lawsuits, such as a class-action suit by inmates in Colorado that led to a multimillion-dollar settlement and the state Department of Corrections agreeing to make all necessary changes to better accommodate handicapped inmates — changes that also required many millions of dollars. While the final result of the Chen family corruption trials is still a ways off, it would behoove the government to begin giving serious thought on how it will handle the delicate situation of a convicted wheelchair-bound former first lady.

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