PRESS-RELEASE (02.08.2010)

The Special Report on activities in Georgian Prison System Branch Offices of the RCT/EMPATHY in year 2009 and first half of the 2010 was elaborated and submitted to the Ministry of Correction, Probation and Legal Assistance of Georgia.

This report contains detail description of conducted activities in mentioned above period in Prisons’ Department Facility #5 (Women Colony and Women Prison) RCT/EMPATHY Rehabilitation Centre, in same facility – in Juvenile Prison – Crisis Intervention Centre, and in Juvenile Correction Facility of Prison Department – RCT/EMPATHY Rehabilitation Centre.

The Report “RCT/EMPATHY Activities and Results in Branches of the Penal Institutions of Georgia in year 2009 – 2010 (First Half): General Recommendations for Health Reform in Georgian Penal System”, contains following chapters: 1) Background Information – the history of establishment of the Civilian Multi – faced rehabilitation Centres in Georgian Penal system is described. In year 1998 the Conception of Rehabilitation for Prisoners and Former Prisoners was elaborated by the RCT/EMPATHY and published in year 2002 (see www.empathy.ge Publications); Since 1999 the first pilot project in Women Colony was started, since 2001 the Rehabilitation Centre in Women Colony was established, in year 2003 – 2004 – The Rehabilitation Centre in Juvenile Colony was established, in 2007 the Crisis Intervention Centre in Juvenile’s Pre – Trial Prison was established. The activities implemented in these Centres includes, but not limited: Medical, Psychological, Social and legal support for prisoners victims with experience of torture, ill – treatment, inadequate medical care, as well as risk groups and community members, became strong mechanisms for prevention of torture in these institutions, as well as model activity for prevention and in time reacting of torture and other forms of ill – treatment.

2) Main Goals and Tasks of the Programme – Priority of the part of the Programme of the RCT/EMPATHY, implemented in these Branch Offices includes: Implementation of International Standards on prevention of Torture in Georgian Penal System; Identification and adequate multi – faced support for persons with experience ill – treatment, inadequate medical care, especially toward to the persons with mental problems; And, finally, to implement of international standards on rehabilitation toward to prisoners, according to the Council of Europe Recommendations on Health in Prison and, especially, Mental Health.

3) Methodology: Methodology is based on international and national standards for medical and psychological examination of clients; as well as, in General, needs assessment by profiles including medical, psychological, social and legal problems evaluation; On the second stage of monitoring and rehabilitation programme the individually oriented rehabilitation course is elaborated with participation of the multi Disciplinary team of professionals together with client. The rehabilitation procedures based on the problems includes: Multi faced or mono and double therapy sessions, including medical assistance: psychiatrist, Neurologist, Orthopedist or other specialties doctors; psychological assistance including groups and individual sessions, as well as Art Therapy with work with clay modeling, in case of request the legal assistance and forensic medical/psychological expertise is provided. Other stage of intervention includes procedures of evaluation and re – evaluation during the rehabilitation course. In case of necessity the para – clinical investigations are provided as well. All provided assistance is strictly voluntarily based and in case of request anonymous.

4) Results of activities in 2009: Field Rehabilitation Centers inside the Georgian Penal System (RC in Women and Juvenile Colonies- Free of Charge Offices in side penal system) (includes: Creating the basis for humane prison system due to the operate of the Rehabilitation Centres in the Women Colony in Tbilisi, in the Women Pre – Trial Prison in Tbilisi that is complete with the civilian professionals and is innovation model of intervention of the civilian health care independent system inside the prison institutions).

Assessment of results:

The Rehabilitation Centres are operating in the Women Colony, Juvenile Colony, as well as the monitoring and crisis intervention is providing in the Pre – Trial Prison for Women.

Total Number of clients were N = 47, among them 32 direct beneficiaries; Among direct beneficiaries long – term multi – faced rehabilitation was provided in 20 cases, short – term rehabilitation in – 4 cases, and in 8 cases mono therapy – art therapy session.

Assistance includes the Art therapy group and individual sessions 2 per week; Psychotherapy sessions group and individual 1 per week, as well as psychiatry consultations and psycho – educational sessions 2 per week.

Concrete Results:

1) The individual and group psycho – therapy sessions were conducted in 15 cases. The problems of social adaptation, depression, sleep disturbances, problems of violation of interpersonal relations were revealed in the beginning of the sessions. The level of aggression was high according to the Bass – Durkay Aggression rate scale too. As the result of psychotherapy intervention the level of aggression was decreased according to the re – evaluation measures, as well as the level of social adaptation was improved. Patients became more oriented on the future plans.

2) The art – therapy sessions were conducted together with medical and psychological intervention in 16 cases. Among them 8 persons were on double therapy – including the psychotherapy and art therapy session.

Juvenile Colony

Assessment of Results Total number of assisted persons were N = 53; among them direct beneficiaries were 47 persons. Clients for multi – faced long-term rehabilitation were 23 persons, as well as on mono – art therapy sessions were attending 24 persons: clients of RCT/EMPATHY from previous year and new clients.

Total number of clients involved in the art therapy were 42 persons, Sessions includes 3 time per week art therapy intervention, 2 time psychotherapy and psychiatrist’s sessions, if, required several doctors’ consultations.

In Juvenile Colony were served during 2009 totally 47 patients in RCT/EMPATY branch office, most of them were afterwards and simultaneously involved in other activities in colony:

In church building activities in the colony territory were involved 14 juveniles, in special activities of stone carving were involved 4 prisoners, in enamel study activities -9 persons, in computer courses 8 prisoners, in soccer study group -9 juveniles; 1 person who successfully graduated secondary school in Colony was released from the colony due to presidential pardon, one prisoner is going to sit for an examinations in institute of higher education. Conditions of Long- term rehabilitation juveniles -total 23 persons -with several somatic and mental problems were in generally improved.

Emergency Consulting Centre (ECC) in Pre – Trial Prison for Juveniles in Tbilisi (free of Charge Office that was established in 2007 by the RCT/Empathy with close collaboration of the MoJ Prison Department, during the Micro Grant Project funded from EU and IRCT/Oak);

Assessment of results:

Total number of juveniles consulted during the year were 46 persons, among them 31 persons were identified as the direct beneficiaries, among them persons with mental retardation, the legal, psychological, psychiatry assistance, together with other doctors’ intervention were provided. Among them in 28 cases the long – term rehabilitation was provided and in 3 cases short term medical intervention.

In branch office in Juvenile Pre-Trial prison during 2009 year were served 31 juveniles, among them 1 prisoner with mental retardation was transferred to compulsory treatment in Qutiri Hospital according to court decision due to provided Forensic Psychiatric expertise, which was conducted after RCT/EMPATHY’s specialists’ recommendations and intervention. 7 prisoners after transferring in juveniles’ colony were involved in RCT/EMPATHY art- therapy activities, 5 of them were involved in other activities in colony as well. In all cases in generally, health condition were improved.

5) Results of year 2010 (First Half Period)

Women Colony and Women’s Pre – Trial Prison

Total Number of clients that RCT/EMPATHY provided several kind of assistance was 53 women. Among them 38 were direct clients (9 clients were transferred from year 2009, and 29 were new clients in 2010); All these 38 clients were under long – term rehabilitation; 12 clients were discharged in 2010 and ongoing are 27, among them 2 adolescents.

Revealed main problems: Problems with adequate care toward to the prisoners with mental problems, especially, with psychosis, as well as with dependence problems; Lack of will for collaboration between civilian doctor’s and Ministry of Correction’s Medical Department that causes problems for in time possibilities of diagnostic in sub contractor health centres. Juvenile Correction facility

Total number of clients that applied to the RCT/EMPATHY was about 32 persons, among them 14 were on long – term multi profile rehabilitation, other were on mono art therapy and psychological counseling programme.

Finally, it should be mentioned, that clients of the RCT/EMPATHY after passing the rehabilitation course in the RCT/EMPATHY became participants of other social rehabilitation programmes running in this facility.

Juvenile Pre – Trial Prison

In juvenile pre – trail prison total numbers of clients applied to the RCT/EMPATHY was about 52 persons, among them 23 was on long – term rehabilitation, in other cases were provided psychological consultations.

It should be mentioned that importance of the programme is continuous possibility of intervention after transferring of these clients from the pre – trail prison to the Juvenile Correction facility.

5) The report contains Positive factors implemented in the Country that supported project implementation, as well as negative factors from the side of Ministry of Correction, Probation and legal Assistance of Georgia that created problems for the project activities, also recommendations for improving the collaboration between RCT/EMPATHY and mentioned ministry for the fight against torture, including the implementation of the international standards for the prevention of torture and, especially, on Prison Health Reform.

Finally in the Chapter 8 is General Recommendations on Health Reform in Prison, including all relevant standards on prevention of torture, principles of documentation, reporting and rehabilitation, as well as recommendations by priority issues of health in prison and by profiles of the organizational aspects based on recommendations for Health in Prison issued by the CoE.

This Report was elaborated on Georgian and is published on web page of the RCT/EMPATHY on Georgian. Summary of this report will be published on English with more detail evaluation of the new “Prison Health Reform Action Plan” signed by both Ministry (MoH and MCLA).

A COMPLEX REHABILITATION SYSTEM FOR PRISONERS AND FORMER PRISONERS

Report for Ministry of Correction 2009 and 2010

Annual report 2009 RCT/EMPATHY

Photo from Sale – Exhibition of art work products from Art Studio and Rehabilitation Centres in Prison/Colonies organized by the RCT/EMPATHY during the Conference, held in Tbilisi Marriott Hotel, 26 June, 2010 at UN International Day in Support of victims of Torture: