Minister of Justice of Georgia Rati Bregadze yesterday congratulated the employees of the Agency on their professional day ” National Agency for Crime Prevention, Enforcement of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation”. The minister summarized the implemented projects and thanked the employees for their services.
Lado Kheladze, head of the National Agency for Crime Prevention, Enforcement of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation, introduced the results of the Agency’s activities and development vision to the employees. He focused on technological innovations, strengthening the direction of crime prevention, promotion of human resources development, infrastructural renewal, and providing necessary services to the beneficiaries.
Over the past year, a number of promises in the direction of crime prevention and probation have been fulfilled:
- The first innovative device in Europe, “Probbox”, was created – an electronic service system for probationers, which provides geographic availability and anonymity of probation services. Currently, “Probbox” is distributed in the houses of justice and municipal buildings in 7 cities of Georgia, and in the future, its number will increase to 250;
- The renovated office of the Imereti Regional Probation Bureau was opened in Kutaisi and municipal offices – in Zestafon and Terjola. Gardabani, Sighnaghi, Kaspi and Chkhorotsku probation offices were located in the justice houses and public centres of the same cities; The first regional office of the Juvenile Referral Center was launched in Kutaisi;
- Human resources were strengthened – the number of probation officers increased by 12%, the number of social workers by 26%, and the number of psychologists by 67%. A Code of ethics for probation officers was developed;
- 4 new rehabilitation programs were introduced in the direction of resocialization-rehabilitation of convicts and ex-prisoners. 577 minors and adults under the age of 21 were included in diversion programs. The rate of successful mediation was statistically the highest – 67%;
- In order to promote the employment of the beneficiaries of the Agency, memorandums were signed with the State Employment Agency, the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture. After the involvement of hardworking persons in the implementation of infrastructural projects and after serving a sentence for the promotion of their employment, memorandums were signed with the mayors of different municipalities;
- Mobile and 24-hour electronic monitoring teams were created for effective enforcement of house arrest.
At the end of the event, the Deputy Minister of Justice Buba Lomuashvili and the head of the Bureau Lado Kheladze awarded the successful professionals with certificates of appreciation.
The event dedicated to the day of the National Agency for Crime Prevention, Enforcement of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation was attended by agency employees, deputy ministers of justice, heads of structural units of the ministry, and representatives of the Bureau of Cooperation with State Anti-Narcotics and Law Enforcement Agencies (INL) of the United States of America.
