Comprehensive support services to address the rehabilitative needs of women and their children
(Rules 46-47, Chapter 7)
PRI led a project addressing the rehabilitative needs of women in prison, and their children, who have experienced violence, discrimination and stigma. PRI supported the creation of a Child Development Centre for children under three living with their mothers in prison, including the development of national guidelines for operating such a centre, and helped recruit a psychologist to work with the children and their mothers on their development.
Through the help of local NGO partners PRI provided various support services to women who had been in prison and those serving probation sentences and their children. Psycho-social support including facilitating contact between mothers and their children, working with relevant agencies involved in alternative childcare (foster care, small family homes), identifying homeless women and referring them to the shelter supported by this project, promoting women’s inclusion in a Hepatitis C treatment programme, enrolling women in the state health insurance programme, referring children for additional specialist/neuropsychologist where needed, identifying and referring women with health problems to medical services and inpatient treatment and care, facilitating the process of restoring property or obtaining housing documentation, identifying basic needs of the women and their children (food, clothing, hygiene products, etc.) and provision of additional educational and developmental materials for children with additional needs.
Strengthened cooperation between government agencies and non-governmental organisations led to the recovery of contact between mothers in prison and their children being looked after in the community. This achievement also contributed to tackling stigmatised attitudes towards this group and disrupt the beliefs that women in prison are bad mothers.
For more information see:
PRI, ‘Annual Report 2019‘.
Vocational activities for women in prison
(Rule 42, Chapter 7)
Women’s Prison No. 5 is located just outside the town of Rustavi, a 45-minute drive from the capital Tbilisi. The prison is the only women’s prison in Georgia and houses nearly all of the country’s female prison population (some pre-trial detainees are housed in other facilities). The prison comprises a series of cell blocks and training facilities as well as an administrative building, all within tarmacked grounds where women hang up washing or use the public telephones.
Each cell block has its own training room, where women can participate in courses such as traditional Georgian felt making, beauty therapy and hairdressing. There is also a sewing enterprise run by Women in Business, where around 50 women are employed under a contract with the Ministry of Corrections to make mattresses for men’s prisons. The women can earn a wage, which they can either send to their families outside or spend in prison.
For more information see: