A 2-day workshop took place on 24 -25 November in Kakheti, Georgia where the representatives of French, German and Swiss prison services presented the tools used in their respective countries to screen the mental health status of prisoners and detainees as well as the relevant procedures and tasks of the prison personnel (pathway). As a next step, the Council of Europe local expert will adjust the tools for the Georgian prisons and temporary detention isolators.

The workshop was held for the representatives of the Ministry of Correction and Ministry of Internal Affairs for developing the screening tools that can be applied upon admission to the detention isolator and prisons of Georgia.

When inmates enter a corrections facility, the staff’s first task is to separate out those who may be at significant risk for suicide, acute psychotic breakdown, or complications from recent substance abuse from those who are merely experiencing varying degrees of distress usually associated with arrest, conviction and detention. Therefore, identifying inmates’ mental health needs when they first enter an institution is critical to providing necessary services and enhancing safety of the corrections settings.

This activity is a part of the European Union and the Council of Europe joint action that aims at improving the provision of mental health in Georgian prisons and other closed institutions.