Modern convoy vans serve Georgian prisoners

A new auto park for prison guards has opened in Georgia's capital Tbilisi today, allowing Georgian inmates to now be transported between destinations in new convoy vans.

The country's Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance Giorgi Mgebrishvili personally opened the modern auto park and an office for the guards.

The vehicles in the auto park are differentiated into different categories that are suitable for minors, women and adult male convicts. In addition, vehicles for high-risk prisoners were specially designed with a self-damage prevention mechanism.

The auto park also offered modern ambulances to allow timely and safe transportation of prisoners to hospitals.

Minister Giorgi Mgebrishvili introduced the new vehicle to journalists. Photo by the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance.

Minister Mgebrishvili said the new vehicles were fully in line with Western standards and provided safe movement for prisoners.

"Within the [penitentiary] reform we created an appropriate environment for prisoners to honorably serve their sentence and for [prison] employees to safetly, effectively and successfully carry out their duties,” he said.

"We reject everything Soviet and old and have forever stopped the vehicles that were associated with torture and inhumane treatments when 50 prisoners instead of 20 were transported in one car,” Mgebrishvili noted.

The Minister personally held a tour of the auto park for journalists and explained the functions of the new transport vehicles.