The Special Preventive Group of the Public Defender of Georgia carried out preventive visits to the (Women's) Penitentiary Institution No. 5 on July 21, 22 and 23, 2025. The purpose of the visits was to assess the treatment of woman and girl prisoners, prison conditions and access to various services.

In the report, the Public Defender emphasizes that woman and girl prisoners are in a particularly vulnerable position and require an approach tailored to individual needs, in line with the spirit of the Bangkok Rules. In addition, he draws attention to the trend of increasing number of female prisoners.

During the preventive visit, the Special Preventive Group did not receive any information about physical violence against prisoners by staff. In several cases, prisoners indicated rude and humiliating treatment. Periodic conflicts between prisoners were also identified, which, according to the Group, are often associated with improper assessment of individual risks and needs during placement in cells.

Conditions in prison cells and closed units, as well as in internal classification cells, are particularly problematic: prisoners spend 23 hours a day in their cells without activities, have limited contact with the outside world and access to rehabilitation/educational programmes. Other problems include: lack of access to hot water and showering in the closed section and internal classification cells; malfunctions of the artificial ventilation system, problems with cooling during high temperatures, and frequent water outages; transportation and waiting conditions in court/medical facilities.

In terms of medical care, despite the renovation of infrastructure, the shortage of personnel and the length of waiting time for a specialist consultation remain a challenge; in the area of ​​mental health, no effective mechanism for periodic screening has been implemented.

The report also points to shortcomings in equal access to rehabilitation, lack of personnel resources, and the risks of labour rights violations of convicts employed in prisons.

The Public Defender calls on the Ministry of Justice and the Special Penitentiary Service to properly consider the recommendations reflected in the report and take effective measures to resolve the existing problems.