Recently Constructed Prison in Kutaisi Needs Reconstruction

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

On December 20, 2005 Kutaisi Penitentiary Establishment # 2 was opened with a huge ceremony and lots of fanfare. Central authority of the country started speaking about its high standards and how the most perfect of living conditions would be provided for inmates. More than two years have passed since it was opened but the prison is already being reconstructed.

“Construction of this building took one year. Prisoners have all necessary conditions for living, and employees have necessary conditions for working. I have worse living conditions in my house," Bacho Akhalaia, the former chairperson of the Penitentiary System said at the opening ceremony for the prison.

However, fresh walls of the prison could not resist the rioting inmates for a long time and different information was spread about poor living conditions there. Public Monitoring Commission of the Kutaisi Penitentiary Establishment # 2 also confirmed the complaints of the inmates within the institution as well as their relatives outside the prison walls. The members of the monitoring group made critical statements from the very beginning.

“I was visiting the juvenile division of the penitentiary establishment during one of the scheduled monitoring missions. It was raining cats and dogs in one of the cells. During the rain the prisoners are holding a bowl to gather rain water in one hand and they are eating their portion by another hand. This building should be re-constructed as should the entire sewerage system. Apparently, a lot of mistakes were made during the construction process. In fact, the building was constructed at a low level of quality. You will not see any wall in the prison without at least one crack. Rain leaks and malfunctioning showers create problems not only for inmates but for the administration. I do not think anybody wants to create some negative feeling among prisoners artificially. Because it might result into serious problems,” it was first critical assessment of the situation made by Manana Managadze, chairperson of the Monitoring Commission.

Almost nothing has changed since that time and a current assessment describes the prison conditions as deteriorating and the regime faced by inmates has become stricter. The prisoners’ protest did not result in any marked improvement and things have actually deteriorated.

Relatives explain how“several riots have broken out in the prison and they have shared their grave concerns about the extremely poor conditions in the prison on many occasions but nothing ever changes. One main problem is that inmates are starving. However, as the mother of 18-year-old prisoner explained - “there is one truth-governmental authorities do not consider these people as being human. It is most clear they do not care what will happen with them under such conditions.”

“The riot that occurred soon after the prison was opened was directly connected with poor living conditions faced by the prisoners inside the walls. Living conditions were not adequate from the very beginning but now circumstances have become most difficult. Almost every wall has to be pulled down because of the damage brought about by leaking rain and the effects of a malfunctioning sewage system. It is clear under those circumstances that were necessary to reconstruct the building. I hope, they will reconstruct the prison properly, from the ground in order it will not be necessary to “repair the repairs” yet again in two years,” said Manana Managadze.

B and C buildings of the Kutaisi Prison are being reconstructed; there are more than 1 800 inmates are housed in the prison. Consequently, one part of prisoners was distributed in various penitentiary establishments while on-going reconstruction takes place However, most inmates remain there and their presence makes the overall situation even worse. Attorneys state that 6-8 inmates live in the cell for 4 people and many times, they cannot even sleep at night because of overcrowded and the difficult conditions they face. .