Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze spoke today about the ongoing reforms in the penitentiary system at a meeting in Washington. Namely, - a penitentiary system focused on the protection of human rights, accessible education and a digital university for prisoners, the Public Service Hall in penitentiary institutions and rehabilitation programs for the re-socialization of inmates.

The Minister thanked the American side for their contribution to the reform process of the penitentiary system and expressed hope that the existing friendly attitude and partnership cooperation will further deepen.

According to the Minister, the protection of human rights and the introduction of high-level standards in the penitentiary system is a priority of the Georgian government.

"Georgian penitentiary system is committed to keeping the golden mean between security and effective rehabilitation and re-socialization programs," said Rati Bregadze.

At the meeting, the Minister focused on other reforms carried out in the penitentiary system, among them, he spoke about the sports management strategy, the Public Service Halls opened in penitentiary institutions, the online store - Re-Market, where items handcrafted by prisoners are sold; the digital university that allows prisoners to get higher education, and more.

In addition, the Minister spoke about the educational and practical training courses that the Training Center of Justice provides for training and professional development of prison employees. In this context, Rati Bregadze emphasized the importance of opening the Saakadze Educational Base.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed that bilateral cooperation in the field of the penitentiary system will be greatly strengthened.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili, Ambassador of Georgia to the USA, Davit Zalkaliani and Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tshvarashvili.