The Path from Committing a Crime to Returning to Society, an EU-funded conference, is underway for representatives of the criminal justice system in Tbilisi on February 20-21, 2020.

On February 20, Deputy Public Defender Giorgi Burjanadze delivered a welcome speech and spoke about the activities and role of the Public Defender's Office in the criminal justice system, focusing on the special reports prepared by the Public Defender in 2019: the report of the National Preventive Mechanism, special reports on the investigation of ill-treatment, disciplinary proceedings against prisoners and the number of early release, which identified a number of important challenges in the criminal justice system.

The Public Defender's Office expresses its readiness to engage in active dialogue with relevant state authorities and non-governmental organizations relating to the issues identified in the reports.

Representatives of the Public Defender's Office will hold various presentations on specific issues of the criminal justice system at the conference.