The Ministry of Justice, together with the Justice Training Center, is hosting the annual conference of the European Penitentiary Training Academy (EPTA), under Georgia’s chairmanship of the organization. The conference is dedicated to discussing education and practice development within penitentiary systems.

In his opening remarks, Minister Rati Bregadze emphasized the critical role of penitentiary systems in maintaining public order and national security. He highlighted several key achievements within the Georgian penitentiary system, including:

• Digital University, providing prisoners with access to education;
• Employed prisoners and the "Re-Market" initiative, where products made by convicts are sold;
• Georgian innovation - Public Service Hall located within penitentiary institutions, allowing convicts access to essential state services.

Minister Bregadze further underscored the significance of the Penal Code, explaining that it ensures favorable conditions for both inmates and prison staff.

"The state's respect for human rights is most evident in the conditions within its penitentiary institutions. The Penitentiary Code not only protects the rights of inmates but also improves the working conditions of employees, allowing for the humane execution of sentences," he said. Bregadze also discussed the ministry's ongoing infrastructural projects, emphasizing the trend toward constructing small-scale institutions as a priority.

"We follow the trend of building small-scale facilities in penitentiary system. On the one-year anniversary of the opening of the small-scale institution in Laituri, we will open a second small-scale institution in Rustavi, which will be designed for a maximum of 200 inmates. "None of these advancements would have been possible without well-trained personnel," Bregadze noted, emphasizing the establishment of a new structure within the Justice Training Center to oversee staff training. He also mentioned the creation of the Saakadze Base and the focus on infrastructure improvements and tailored educational programs for penitentiary employees. Chairperson of the Human Rights Protection and Civil Integration Committee of the Parliament, Rati Yonatamishvili, and Executive Director of the European Organization of Prison and Penitentiary Systems EUROPRIS, Gustav Talving also addressed the conference.

"Georgia was a part of the Soviet system for 70 years, and the effort the country made to get out of this period is very impressive. Mr. Bregadze, thank you very much for your trust, for supporting EUROPRIS and EPTA, and thank you even more for continuously trying to bring Georgia's penitentiary system closer to European standards," said Gustav Talving. Over the course of the three-day conference, attendees will tour Penitentiary No. 16 to observe prisoner-operated small enterprises and visit the Saakadze Training Base for demonstrations of penitentiary work and the services provided by the Public Service Hall.

The Justice Training Center assumed the EPTA chairmanship in 2023 for a one-year term. Established in 2010, EPTA consists of 36 European penitentiary training centers, fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and best practices across the continent.