Former prisoners have unemployment problem

Nana Khutchua 

Overall amnesty in January 2013 affected about 17 000 prisoners. As a result of large-scaled amnesty 8 212 prisoners left the prison that means number of unemployed people in Georgia increased with the new wave of former prisoners.  

According to the Article 17 of the Law of Georgia on Public Service those individuals who were convicted for premeditated crimes and do not have the criminal record annuled are prohibited to start working in public agencies. In accordance to the Law, public and private employers always ask notification on no criminal record from applicants. 

Crime Prevention Centre launched re-socialization program to help former prisoners in 2012. According to the Minister of Justice Thea Tsulukiani, the program was designed to protect society from the repeated crimes and to promote re-socialization of former prisoners. The program includes psycho-social assistance for former prisoners, their training in non-formal education, as well as their capacity building in vocational skills and employment. 

According to the PR manager Ekaterine Burtchuladze of the Crime Prevention Centre, beneficiaries take vocational trainings in the following professions in different state or vocational colleagues: accounting, plumber, tailor and other. The trainees receive certificates if they successfully complete the program. However, there is no statistics of their employment after the program. 

L.K. (Respondent's name is anonymous) served term for drug addiction. After leaving the prison, he took accountancy course at the Gldani public college in the frame of the re-socialization program. 

"Qualified lecturers led lectures for us, but it is difficult to go through the two-year program in a month and learn everything. After completing the course nobody guarantees our employment,” the former prisoner said.  

He said the employers refused to hire him even though he had the certificate. 

"Although I have already served my sentence, the stereotype and stigma of the society about criminal record creates many problems for me. In addition to that I cannot get a driver's license to work as a taxi driver or a distributor. Even if this program is effective, I will never be able to become a plenipotentiary citizen, because the society does not give me a chance,”- stated former prisoner. 

M.M (respondent's name is anonymous) convicted under Article 178 of the Criminal Law, (robbery) is now 23 years old; he left prison three years ago, but it was not enough time to return to normal life-style.  He is IT specialist and animator. He said employers mistrust him because of the article he was charged for. 

"Nobody gives me a chance to prove to the society that I am not a threat to them. I want to start working, but cannot. How long shall I depend on my parents?” the former prisoner M.M said. 

According to Lawyer Nestan Londaridze of Human Rights Centre, it is necessary that the state created more programs to promote employment of former prisoners. "There is no relevant environment for thousands of former prisoners to integrate them into society. Similar situation might push them back to crime,” Nestan Londaridze said. 

Former convicts demand integration in the society. According to them a former prisoner’s status is sort of ‘hallmark” for them.  

"We, like you, are members of this society; we were punished le for the committed crimes and now we ask for a new chance to return to the society", the former convicts said. 

According to the former prisoners, the state program of the Crime Prevention Center is a step forward to assist the ex-prisoners, but is not enough to solve the problem.