On September 3-4, 2024, Deputy Public Defender Elene Ghudushauri and employees of the Criminal Justice Department of the Public Defender’s Office paid a study visit to the city of Madrid (the Kingdom of Spain).

The representatives of the Public Defender’s Office received information about the best practice of the Spanish ombudsman institution, held training meetings with representatives of the Spanish penitentiary and investigative services. The main topics of the meetings were the role of the ombudsman institution in the implementation of criminal justice, supervision of the police and penitentiary systems for the effective realization of human rights.

The members of the delegation also visited a penitentiary institution, viewed the institution's infrastructure, received information about the prison regime, resocialization-rehabilitation programmes, services and conditions offered by the State for prisoners. The representatives of the Office met all Georgian citizens placed in the Spanish penitentiary institution.

The purpose of the meetings and visit was to identify the best international practice, which will help Georgia provide public services better adapted to human rights, including in the penitentiary system.

The study visit was carried out within the framework of the USAID-PDO partnership programme of the grant agreement between the Public Defender’s Office and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).