ministry of justice of georgia
Ministry of Justice is an executive branch of the Georgian Government, which is responsible for development and improvement of national legislation in accordance with international and European standards, promotion of democratic values and strengthening the rule of law, and serving the public interest.
The Ministry:
- Provides legislative activities and ensures harmonization of legislation with international legal standards;
- Conducts legal expertise and participates in the development of national policies in targeted areas;
- Represents the interests of the state in national courts, as well as in international and foreign arbitrations, tribunals and courts;
- Provides inter-agency coordination to ensure effective participatory and consultative processes for developing and implementing a harmonized and unified government policy;
- Delivers efficient and affordable public services;
- Develops and implements e-governance policies.
Priorities of the Ministry of Justice are based on three main goals:
- High level protection of human rights;
- Ensuring legal security of the state;
- Further developed public service delivery.
The Ministry of Justice has its 10-year strategy. The key directions of the strategy are:
- Lawmaking activities - Approximation of national legislation to the EU acquis;
- International relations - Expanding international legal cooperation by establishing solid legal frameworks such as MoUs and legal cooperation agreements;
- Penitentiary and Probation System – Strengthening penitentiary and probation systems and developing human resources;
- Public Services –Providing fast, efficient and customer tailored public services.
the minister
Rati Bregadze
12 December 1982
Education:
2008 - 2011 - Faculty of Law – PhD; Honorary Degree: Doctor of Laws (Dr.iur.h.c.), University of Hamburg.
2006-2007 Faculty of Law - Masters Degree; Master of Laws (LL.M.), University of Hamburg.
2005-2006 Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Private Law, Hamburg (Science trip).
2003 University of Saarland Faculty of Law and Economics (study trip)
2000-2005 Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Law; Lawyer (equivalent to a Masters degree).
During his studies in Georgia and Germany, he was a scholarship holder of the President; Memed-Abashidze; the German Academic Exchange Service and the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation.
Work Experience:
2021.01.04 - Present Minister of Justice of Georgia.
2019-2021 Ministry of Defense of Georgia; deputy Minister.
2017-2019 Ministry of foreign affairs of Georgia; Director of the Department of Diaspora Relations.
2016 Office of the State Minister for Diaspora Affairs; deputy Minister.
2015-2016 LEPL International Education Center; Deputy Executive Director.
2012-2015 Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs; deputy Minister.
2012-2013 LEPL Children and Youth National Center, Head of the Center.
2011- 2012 Law firm Mgaloblishvili, Kipiani, Dzidziguri (MKD) Lawyer, head of the German department.
Academic Activities:
2019 Caucasus University; full professor.
2015-2016 Sulkhan Saba Orbeliani Teaching University, Faculty of Law; Invited lecturer.
2015 University of Georgia, Faculty of Law, Invited Lecturer.
special penitentiary service
Special Penitentiary Service operating under the umbrella of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia is responsible agency for effective management of penitentiary system in Georgia. Core principles while operating are Rule of Law, Protection and Respect of Human Rights, Transparency, Political Neutrality, Protection of employees’ Dignity, Proportionality and Compliance with the rules of Exercising Discretionary Powers.
To date, 13 penitentiary establishments are operating under the Special Penitentiary Service. New small-scale Laituri and Rustavi penitentiary establishment are being constructed.
Georgian Penitentiary System prioritizes protecting the rights of the persons deprived of their liberty in line with the highest European and International Standards that among others supports prevention of reoffending and creates solid grounds for their resocialization.
Strategic directions of the Special Penitentiary Service are the following:
- Effective management of Penitentiary System;
- Ensuring the rights of remands and providing them with high-quality rehabilitation and medical services;
- Providing vocational, employment, sport and educational programs for inmates;
- Efficient service delivery for inmates’
- Effective empowerment of the staff;
For the last decade, Georgian Penitentiary System has experienced huge developments in various thematic areas. The Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the Special Penitentiary Service continue taking efficient and proactive measure to further strengthen and secure dignified environment in Georgian penitentiary establishments.
Recent advancements cover adoption of new Penitentiary Code of Georgia, systemic improvement of material conditions in all penitentiary establishments, organizational strengthening of the Special Penitentiary Service, improvement of the working conditions for the staff, conducting various rehabilitation-oriented activities/programs for inmates, promoting vocational education and employment opportunities, development of sport management strategy, working on new small-scale penitentiary establishments and introduction of family-type establishments for juveniles.
On June 1, 2022, Shop Re-Market, a retail outlet for inmate-made goods, was opened. In order to popularize the re-market, 15 exhibitions and sales events were conducted in various organizations. Re-Market also operates an online platform where customers can purchase inmate-made goods.
Among latest innovations introduced within the Georgian Penitentiary System are Digital University, Online Clinic model and Public Service Halls in penitentiary establishments. Penal institutions are equipped with Public Service Halls, which are the hub of public and private services. The first time in the history of penal system, the hub of public services within the prison facilities has become accessible for inmates.
Director General of the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia
Nika Tskhvarashvili
12 December 1982
about
Earned B.A. in Law and LL.M. in International Law and Human Rights;
Since 2009, he has worked in the investigative field for 6 years;
2015 - 2019, he held various senior managerial positions in the State Security Service of Georgia;
2019 - 2021 Deputy Director General of the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia;
From 2021, he holds the position of Director General of the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia.
Special State Rank – Colonel of Justice.
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS (INL)
The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) assists the Government of Georgia (GOG) to strengthen the rule of law through practical skills training for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges. INL efforts also focus on improving local capacity to fight transnational crime, including human trafficking and narcotics trafficking, and advancing implementation of criminal procedure reforms to create a justice system that meets international standards, enhances regional stability and security, and helps support Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
For more than a decade, INL has implemented various law enforcement, criminal justice, and rule of law projects and held trainings locally and overseas. INL funds a number of implementers, including the Resident Legal Adviser Office of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (DOJ/ODPAT), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Rule of Law Initiative of the American Bar Association (ABA-ROLI), and the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest, Hungary.
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Staff
The INL section is currently staffed by eight full-time employees: The INL Program Director; Senior Police Advisor; Police Advisor; Probation Advisor; and four Foreign Service Nationals. The INL-funded Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) section includes an Assistant U.S. Attorney and two Foreign Service National staff attorneys.
THE EUROPEAN ORGANISATION OF PRISON AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES (EUROPRIS)
The European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (EuroPris) is a non-political, non-governmental organisation founded in 2011. The initiative to establish EuroPris was taken during the Swedish EU Presidency in 2009 and was brought forward by the European countries of the International Roundtable for Correctional Excellence.
Membership of the Association is open to those European national Prison and Correctional Administrations which are able and willing to support the agreed aims and objectives of the Association. Public institutions or organisations in the Council of Europe region, which provide prison or correctional services on a legal or statutory basis can become members of EuroPris.
EuroPris brings together practitioners in the prisons’ arena with the specific intention of promoting ethical and rights-based imprisonment, exchanging information and providing expert assistance to support this agenda. The organisation exists to improve co-operation among European Prison and Correctional Services, with the aim of improving the lives of prisoners and their families, enhancing public safety and security; reducing re-offending; and advancing professionalism in the corrections’ field.
The specific goals of the organisation are to:
- advance the operational capabilities and professionalism of prison and correctional practitioners across Europe;
- act as an ‘expert group’ on prison matters within Europe;
- contribute to, and support the development of, European prison-related policy and legislation, within the framework of standards established by the European Union and the Council of Europe;
- be available to policy-makers in an advisory capacity on prison-related matters;
- generate relationships and exchange information with other organisations working in the prisons and criminal justice arena, both in Europe and beyond, with a view to developing best practice in the field; and
- advance the above agenda by, wherever possible, engaging in collaborative, funded, programmatic work.
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