The German delegation is in Tbilisi within the framework of the 2022-2025 program of cooperation between Georgia and Germany, which was signed last year by the Ministers of Justice of Georgia and Germany in Berlin.
First Deputy Minister of Justice, Tamar Tkeshelashvili noted at the meeting that one of the agency's priorities is the penitentiary system in Georgia, which corresponds to the best European and international standards, and in this regard sharing experience between the two countries is very valuable.
Since the beginning of the new wave of reform of the penitentiary system by the Ministry of Justice, Georgia has already had significant tangible results: infrastructure projects, rehabilitation and re-socialisation programs, expansion of employment opportunities for convicts, improvement of the conditions of employees and prisoners, further development of penitentiary health care, strengthening of the IT infrastructure in the penitentiary system, and professional opportunities of employees.
The Ministry of Justice has also developed a new penitentiary strategy and a new penitentiary code, one of the important directions of which is the refinement of approaches to the rehabilitation and re-socialisation of convicts. In addition, a sports management strategy has been developed, which creates a platform for the involvement of convicts in sports activities, which contributes to a healthy lifestyle and reintegration and re-socialisation.
A new and innovative service "Online Clinic" has been introduced in the penitentiary system, which provides quick access to healthcare services for convicts.
The construction of new small-scale penitentiary institutions is planned. In September of this year, a small-scale facility will be opened in Laituri, and construction has begun in St. in Rustavi.
The innovations introduced in Georgia were interesting for the German side - the Public Service Hall in penitentiary institutions, online university and "re-market". Minister of Justice of the Federal Land of North Rhine-Westphalia, Benjamin Limbach, noted that the reforms implemented by Georgia in the penitentiary system in recent years were clearly visible during the visit to the penitentiary institutions, and Georgia's aspiration to share the best European experience is welcome.