Free tattoo removal for underage inmates

The country’s youngest prisoners are being offered the opportunity to have their tattoos removed for free.

From today, the Georgian National Probation Agency is offering all underage convicts the chance to have their tattoos and other permanent visual insignia removed for free.

The campaign is targeting prisoners under the age of 18 and is being carried out with the support of the Crime Prevention and Innovative Programs Centre of the Corrections Ministry and UNICEF.

Those behind the campaign said the aim of the project was to promote a healthy lifestyle among the country’s youth. They said it was common practice to receive a tattoo in Georgian prisons, but it was extremely unsanitary as unsterile needles could cause serious infections and diseases, such as HIV.

In the first stage of action, the service will be offered to juvenile suspended convicts registered in probation officers in Tbilisi, Shida Kartli, Kvemo Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti.

Inmates who wish to erase their tattoos should apply to their appropriate probation office, where they will receive more information about the campaign.

The Ministry of Corrections began accepting applications of tattoo removal today and will remain open for one week.