Georgia in 2020 SPACE II survey: Georgia had remarkably high prison, probation rates in 2020
Conducted every year for the CoE by the University of Lausanne, the SPACE survey provides an overview of the use of custodial and community sanctions and measures (also known as alternatives to imprisonment) in the CoE member states. Photo: coe.int.
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Georgia had remarkably high prison and probation rates in 2020, which could be an indicator that community sanctions and measures are being used not as alternatives to imprisonment but as supplementary sanctions, reads the 2020 SPACE II annual survey carried out by the University of Lausanne for the Council of Europe.
As of January 31, 2020 Georgia reported 20,883 probationers and 9,806 prisoners.
With its probation rate of 562 probationers per 100,000 inhabitants of the country, Georgia was among the probation administrations with the highest probation rates, along with Poland (643 probationers per 100,000 inhabitants), Turkey (627 probationers per 100,000 inhabitants), and Lithuania (568 probationers per 100,000 inhabitants)”, reads the survey.
Annual statistics show that the number of persons subject to sanctions and measures which keep offenders in the community and do not deprive them of liberty grew by three per cent (from 1,456,192 to 1,500,547) in Europe from 2019 to 2020.
Conducted every year for the CoE by the University of Lausanne, the SPACE survey provides an overview of the use of custodial and community sanctions and measures (also known as alternatives to imprisonment) in the CoE member states.
See the full survey here.
The Council of Europe’s new annual prison statistics report released earlier today says that Georgia is the third among the countries with the highest incarceration rates in Europe following Turkey and Russia.
Parolees in Georgia will not be required to visit probation offices until April 14 after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of the China-born Covid-19 virus a pandemic, Georgia’s Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani stated earlier today.
The imprisonment and the trial of Georgian DJ Mikheil Todua, better known under his artistic nickname Michailo, were in focus of the public attention in Georgia as the discussion on the decriminalisation of the light drugs was very hot in 2013-2014. Last week his new trial again became a hit story for the Georgian users of social media, dozens of them were waiting for the decision of Tbilisi City court even though they did not know Todua personally.
The statistics of 2008 read 445 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants in Georgia, while the figure was 252 per 100,000 in 2018. CoE says that the number of inmates in the Georgian prisons was increasing until 2012 [under the United National Movement], with 516 inmates per 1000,000 in 2012.
Two inmates have died in a fire in Rustavi Prison No.17 yesterday, the Georgian Justice Ministry confirmed earlier today. The fire broke out at around 14:00 yesterday allegedly in the prison cafeteria. Six fire brigades with 11 fire engines were trying to extinguish the fire. It has not been reported so far what caused the death of the inmates - thermal burns of smoke.
The European Probation Confederation (CEP) has published an article about PROBBOX, an innovative service launched by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia in six cities in December, calling the initiative a “large-scale reform” of the probation system in the country.