Prison Life Index

The evaluations measure the violations of prisoner rights by the State. They are based on extensive desk research and expert evaluations. Please refer to the methodology to find out how the Prison Life Index data is collected, sorted, and aggregated.

The data and information for Georgia were collected between July 2023 and October 2023.

B-
Occasional severe violations
B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison have access to drinking water

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison have access to food

B-
Occasional severe violations

The prison administration must provide “safe drinking water” and “three meals a day” to each person in prison (Article 23, Imprisonment Code).

Drinking water is accessible from the sink located in each cell. Meals are served three times per day, in dining halls for people held in semi-open facilities and directly in cells for those held in other facilities. The Public Defender of Georgia (PDG) observed, in 2018, that the food served did not always meet quantity and quality standards. A quarter of the people in prison surveyed by the Special Preventive Group complained about the lack of fresh produce.

C
Frequent violations

People in prison have sufficient living space

C
Frequent violations

People in prison can sleep in good conditions

B
Occasional violations

The premises are in good condition, clean and accessible

C
Frequent violations

The national regulations set a minimum living space of 4 m² for people serving sentences and 3m² for people awaiting trial (Article 15, Imprisonment Code). The size and composition of cells vary across the territory. In 2023, there was an average of 3.7 people per cell. Prisons n° 8 (Tbilisi), 15 (Mtskheta) and 17 (Rustavi) are routinely overcrowded and the minimum standard is not respected. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) reported in 2021 that people within the same facility were subjected to different conditions of detention depending on their position within an informal hierarchy.

The prison administration must provide a bed and bedding to each person (Article 22, Imprisonment Code). Experts reported that some people are provided with poorly maintained bedding.

Premises are often in poor condition due to a lack of ventilation and natural light, increasing health risks. The Public Defender of Georgia (PDG) reported that the lack of oxygen in certain cells caused health issues such as frequent headaches.

B-
Occasional severe violations

Adequate sanitary facilities allow people in prison to maintain their personal hygiene

B
Occasional violations

People in prison have access to personal hygiene products

C-
Frequent severe violations

People in prison have access to clothing

B-
Occasional severe violations

Toilets are located inside the cells. Showers are located outside of the cells and can be used two times per week (Article 21, Imprisonment Code). These infrastructures are not accessible to people with disabilities or mobility issues.

Upon admission, each person receives personal hygiene products. Items such as toilet paper and soap are resupplied monthly. The products provided do not meet the various needs of individuals and are insufficient in quantity. The Human Rights Center reported, in 2015, that women needed to purchase additional sanitary products at the prison commissary. Incarcerated people can wear their own clothes. The prison administration must provide clothing for those who cannot wear their own (Article 22, Imprisonment Code). Experts reported that this provision is not always upheld. Foreign nationals and people who cannot rely on their family may struggle to find adequate clothing.

-
Incomplete data
B
Occasional violations
B
Occasional violations

People in prison have access to health awareness and information programmes

B
Occasional violations

Screening programmes make it possible to diagnose people with contagious diseases

A
Compliant with the international standards

Equipment and infrastructures limiting the risk of disease and infection transmission are available

B
Occasional violations

Vaccination programmes are organised

B
Occasional violations
B
Occasional violations

People in prison receive limited health information from health workers. An expert reported that leaflets exist, but that they are not distributed often, particularly in closed-type facilities. Screenings for the most prevalent diseases are provided upon admission. Some testing is organised in collaboration with civil society organisations. The Tanagdoma centre tested 3,950 people for HIV in 2022. According to the World Health Organisation, soap and condoms were available in all facilities in 2022. Lubricant, syringes and needles are not provided. Vaccinations are available. The Public Defender of Georgia (PDG) reported challenges in communication with the outside, as health workers had difficulties to obtain information regarding the vaccination status of incarcerated children.

Each person must undergo a medical examination upon admission (Article 24, Imprisonment Code). This examination may be delayed due to a lack of staff available to accompany people from their cells to the examination rooms.

B
Occasional violations

Access to general health care is quick and consistent

B
Occasional violations

Health workers are qualified and independent

B
Occasional violations

Adequate health infrastructures are available

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison can access general health care services. Delays are experienced due to reduced health workers following a prison health system reorganisation in 2019 and 2020. The Public Defender of Georgia (PDG) reported, in 2020, that the general health care team in prison n° 17 in Rustavi was composed of “a chief doctor, an administrative assistant, two primary care doctors and five nurses, three duty doctors and five duty nurses”.1 In women’s prison n° 5 in Gardabani, the PDG reported a lack of support staff. Each facility comprises a medical unit (Article 123, Imprisonment Code). Prison n° 18 contains a hospital facility. Depending on vacancies, people can be transferred to a public hospital.

Experts reported that medical examinations are often conducted in the presence of prison officers, especially in closed-type facilities. This practice raises confidentiality issues.

Health workers are directly employed by the prison administration and cannot act in full independence.


  1. There were 1,702 people in prison n° 17 in Rustavi at the time. 

?
“Specialised care” refers to psychological, psychiatric and dental care according to Rule 25 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
B-
Occasional severe violations

Access to mental health and dental care is quick and consistent

B-
Occasional severe violations

Mental health and dental care workers are qualified and independent

B-
Occasional severe violations

Adequate mental health and dental care infrastructures are available

B-
Occasional severe violations

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) observed, in 2021, issues with the provision of mental health care in prisons n° 14 (Geguti), n° 15 (Ksari) and n° 17 (Rustavi). This is notably due to a lack of specialised health workers. While three psychologists provided care in prison n° 2 in Kutaisi in 2019, only one remained following the reorganisation of 2019-2020. Not all prisons have dedicated rooms for psychological and psychiatric care.

-
Incomplete data

People experiencing gender transition can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

Elderly people can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

Children can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

Women can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

People with communicable diseases can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

People with addictions can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

People with mental illnesses or psychiatric disorders can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

People with physical disabilities can the access necessary care

-
Incomplete data
C
Frequent violations

People in prison can continue the health care or treatments started before admission

C
Frequent violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

An individual medical file is opened upon admission and is accessible to the patient

B
Occasional violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

The PDG noted, in 2022, that “inconsistency of medical records and lack of information on treatment outcomes make it difficult to assess treatment adequacy”. Every health service keeps paper-based medical files.

-
Incomplete data
C
Frequent violations

People in prison can access legal assistance

C
Frequent violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

People in prison are able to notify a third party in the event of detention, transfer, serious illness or injury

-
Incomplete data

Each person in prison has a confidential file in the official, complete and up-to-date registers

A
Compliant with the international standards
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

People in prison have access to the internal regulations of the facility they are held in

C
Frequent violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

People in prison can meet with their lawyer (Article 14, Imprisonment Code) on weekdays. Those facing financial hardship are entitled to legal aid (Article 5, Law on Legal Aid; Article 14, Imprisonment Code). Experts underlined that the criteria for determining eligibility for legal aid are restrictive. Many people with limited resources are excluded and have to pay for their own lawyer.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities underlined, in 2023, that the meeting rooms were not accessible for people with disabilities.

The law specifies the elements that must be included in the internal regulations (Article 14, Imprisonment Code). In practice, people are not always aware of internal rules. The Public Defender of Georgia (PDG) reported, in 2019, that people in prisons n° 2 (Kutaisi) and n° 8 (Tbilisi), were not informed of “their rights, the procedure of requests/complaints and disciplinary punishment or disciplinary proceedings”.

D-
Regular severe violations
D-
Regular severe violations

The disciplinary system set out by public regulation is proportionate and appropriate

A
Compliant with the international standards
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

The different categories of people in prison are placed in separate facilities or wards

D-
Regular severe violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

The working and training conditions of prison staff contribute to the preventive framework

-
Incomplete data
C
Frequent violations

People in prison are not subjected to physical harm

C
Frequent violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

Discipline is enforced in a proportionate way

-
Incomplete data

People in prison are not subjected to abusive, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment

B-
Occasional severe violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

The disciplinary system is detailed in the Imprisonment Code (2010).

People serving sentences and those awaiting trial are held in the same cells in prisons n° 2 (Kutaisi) and n° 8 (Tbilisi) due to overcrowding. Adults and children are detained in different wards, but the separation is not always effective. Transgender women and men identified as being homosexuals are separated from the general population in specific cells or wards. Penal Reform International describes these places as a “prison inside the prison, a zone of discrimination and isolation”. The people detained in these cells are subject to violence from other incarcerated people and staff members. The United Nations Human Rights Council reported, in 2018, that these people are victims of insults, mockery and sexual violence. They are often required to wear an identification mark on their uniform.

An informal hierarchy exists between different people in prison in most facilities. Those in positions of power have access to better material conditions and exercise informal governance over others. According to joint research published in 2020, this transfer of authority could not exist without the consent or support of the prison administration.

The Public Defender of Georgia (PDG) underlined an increase in violence between incarcerated people in 2021, which remains largely underreported.

In 2018, the PDG reported that staff members used violence against people in prisons n° 2 (Kutaisi), 8 (Tbilisi) and 15 (Mtskheta Municipality). The PDG noted that “prisoners placed in closed-type facilities spoke about unethical, sometimes offensive and discriminatory, treatment on the part of personnel that was manifested in verbal abuse by prison officers of prisoners employed in household services in the penitentiary establishment”.

-
Incomplete data
-
Incomplete data

Internal or administrative inspections are carried out regularly by the central administration

-
Incomplete data

External inspections are regularly carried out by independent bodies

-
Incomplete data
-
Incomplete data

In the event of an offense committed against a person in prison, the response of the institution is effective

-
Incomplete data

People in prison, their legal assistance or their loved ones can file a complaint

-
Incomplete data
C
Frequent violations
C
Frequent violations

Every person in prison can access a job

C
Frequent violations

People in prison who work receive equitable remuneration and are free to use at least part of their earnings

C
Frequent violations

People in prison work in good conditions

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison have access to a diverse range of qualifying jobs that are not more dangerous or arduous than work outside the prison

D
Regular violations

The right to access a job is defined as one of the “rights of the accused and convicted persons” (Article 14, Imprisonment Code).

Three forms of paid work are available: maintenance work, individual work (often craftwork) performed in cells, and industrial work carried out within the facility for external employers (Article 14, Imprisonment Code). In practice, the range of jobs offered is narrow and only a minority of people have the possibility to work. In May 2023, official statistics showed that 971 people (10.09% of the prison population) had access to a form of employment.

The remuneration is significantly lower than outside. People in prison can be required to work irregular hours, with a lack of access to reliable information about the nature of the work they will have to perform. Sources indicate that time off is not always granted, and people can work for more than 8 hours per day.

C-
Frequent severe violations

People in prison have access to vocational training

C-
Frequent severe violations

People in prison have access to education

C-
Frequent severe violations

People in prison have the right to access vocational training and education (Article 14, Imprisonment Code).

Access to vocational training varies across the territory. In May 2023, official statistics showed that 367 people (3.81%) had access to vocational programmes and 232 (2.41%) to professional education provided by the Vocational Education and Training Centre for Inmates. These programmes are more accessible in facilities where children are incarcerated, such as prison n° 11 in Tbilisi or in low-risk facilities such as prison n° 16 in Rustavi.

Experts reported that only children have access to general secondary education. Higher education programmes are open to all people serving sentences (Article 115, Imprisonment Code) but few are able to access them. In May 2023, official statistics showed that 63 people were enrolled in general education courses and 36 in higher education courses. The offer is limited and information on access to higher education in prison is poorly communicated.

c
Frequent violations

People in prison spend at least one hour per day in the open air

C
Frequent violations
C-
Frequent severe violations

People in prison have access to a library

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison can participate in recreational and cultural activities

C-
Frequent severe violations
C
Frequent violations
C
Frequent violations

Each person in prison has the right to spend one hour per day in the open air (Article 14, Imprisonment Code). The Public Defender of Georgia (PDG) reported, in 2022, that this right was not respected in high-security facilities n° 3 in Batumi, n° 6 in Gardabani and closed-type regime n° 2 in Kutaisi and n° 8 in Tbilisi.

Each facility has a library, but the quantity and quality of books varies greatly. There are few foreign language titles, making the library inaccessible to people who do not read Georgian.

The cultural and sporting activities organised by the prison administration are mainly concentrated in facilities where women (prison n° 5 in Gardabani), or minors (prison n° 11 in Tbilisi) are held, and in semi-open facilities such as prison n° 16 in Rustavi. The PDG noted, in 2022, that people in prisons n° 2 in Kutaisi and n° 8 did not have access to any type of activity. They remained locked in their cells for 23 hours a day.

People in prison have the right to practise their religion (Article 14, Imprisonment Code). The majority of the population practices Georgian Orthodox Christianity. Discrimination occurs against those practising minority religions in the country (Armenian Christian Church, Catholicism, Islam, Judaism). They do not always have places of worship, and the prison administration does not provide them with food in line with their spiritual beliefs.

?
See category ‘Being protected’ for communication with legal assistance and external monitoring bodies.
B-
Occasional severe violations
B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison can correspond in writing with their loved ones

B
Occasional violations

People in prison can talk with their loved ones on the phone

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison can receive visitors

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison may be granted temporary leave to visit their loved ones

C-
Frequent severe violations

Measures are in place to guarantee the best interests of children of an incarcerated parent

B
Occasional violations

The Imprisonment Code recognises the right to correspondence, phone calls, visits and temporary leave for family reasons.

In practice, the location of phones does not guarantee the privacy of conversations. Restriction of the means of maintaining contact can be applied as a disciplinary sanction. The Public Defender of Georgia (PDG) counted, in 2021, “673 restrictions on the right to telephone communication, correspondence and short-term appointments”. Foreign nationals are disproportionately restricted in their access due to the high cost of international mail and phone calls. The PDG also noted, in 2021, that these calls could only take place two days a week.

Temporary leaves are rarely granted.

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison have access to information and various media

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison who have retained their right to vote may vote

B
Occasional violations

The right to information is protected by the law (Article 14, Imprisonment Code). Access may be suspended for disciplinary reasons or for people placed in solitary confinement. The most common forms of media are radio, television and newspapers. In some prisons, particularly high-security ones, people may purchase a television for their personal use. The PDG reported that many individuals share the same television in most other facilities in 2018. The report also mentioned a limited number of channels, which particularly affects people who do not speak Georgian.