Despite many positive reforms and success in moving away from the punitive penal policies of the Soviet era, criminal justice systems in the South Caucasus face a number of challenges.
Corruption is a persistent problem, particularly in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Trained pre-independence, members of the judiciary lack full independence and expertise, often resulting in the over-use of custodial sentences. Transition from Soviet-style prison colony to cell-type prisons is an ongoing challenge, along with maintaining and replacing buildings that were not originally designed as places of detention and which are unfit for habitation.
PRI has been working in the region since 1999. Our South Caucasus regional office is in Tbilisi, Georgia, and operates in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Current work focuses on:
- torture prevention and improving independent public oversight of places of detention
- promoting non-custodial sanctions
- building the capacity of prison and probation services
- improving justice for children.
Latest updates
Blog post
მსჯავრდებულთა რეაბილიტაციის 5 წამახალისებელი სახე
This blog is part of a series that discusses pressing issues in Georgia's criminal justice system. All of the blogs are posted by external authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Penal Reform International.
23rd June 2020
Blog post
5 Rewarding Types of Rehabilitation for Prisoners
Providing rehabilitation for inmates offers countless benefits to the individual inmate as well as the community that inmate will re-enter upon his or her release.
23rd June 2020
Blog post
Isolated in Isolation
In 2020, the restrictions imposed as the result of the pandemic made us realize the importance of communicating with the outside world and how difficult it is to live in isolation, in a single, locked space with restricted mobility, seemingly close and at the same time far away from friends and loved ones. These changes have made the daily lives of people who spend certain periods of their lives in isolation from society, particularly in penitentiary institutions even more visible and understandable. With the most superficial reasoning, they are responsible for what they have done and are “deservedly” isolated. By delving into individual stories, people are often deprived of choices, under the influence of various socio-economic factors in their lives.
23rd June 2020