GEORGIA: NEW CORRECTIONS MINISTER FACES MANY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000453

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: NEW CORRECTIONS MINISTER FACES MANY
CHALLENGES

REF: TBILISI 255

TBILISI 00000453 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: New Minister of Corrections and Legal
Assistance, Dimitri Shashkin told the Ambassador that he
faces significant challenges regarding Georgia's current
penal system. He said he will focus first on creating a
probationary system for the country, noting that the current
system is completely broken. He will look for western
assistance in this area and believes he can quickly deliver
measurable progress. Shashkin said inadequate facilities and
prison health care will take longer to fix. The minister
said he would have his first-year work plan ready by
mid-March. Shashkin appealed to the USG for assistance on
probation reforms, and in sharing Georgia's success on
provision of legal aid to charged persons. As Minister,
Shashkin will oversee Georgia's penitentiary, probation, and
legal aid programs. He will also coordinate the GOG's
democratic reforms (septel). End Summary.


2. (C) Comment: As the new head of a newly-created ministry
(previously prison-related issues were covered by the
Ministry of Justice),Shashkin has promptly set about
addressing the significant tasks before him with
determination and enthusiasm. Shashkin clearly sees himself
as a communicator and reformer, with a primary role of
sharing Georgia's progress with the West. Shashkin claimed
President Saakashvili had given him a budget and free hand to
run his ministry, saying "here is a ball and a field; how you
play it is up to you." Given the serious problems in
corrections, and as a GOG outsider, Shashkin will need time
and authority to really implement reforms. End comment.

AMBASSADOR CALLS


3. (C) On March 5, the Ambassador paid a courtesy call on
Shashkin, the new Minister of the recently renamed Ministry
of Corrections and Legal Assistance (MCLA). Shashkin, who
oversees Georgia's penitentiary, probation, and legal aid
systems, joked that Minister of Internal Affairs Merabishvili
was happy with the new minisry, because "he has given all
the problems to me." The new minister appeared energetic,
but realistic, in his empty new office, smelling of fresh
paint. The Ambassador noted that many in Washington are
carefully watching Georgia's new cabinet and democratic
reforms in order to see if his appointment would result in
real change, or is just "window dressing" to assuage
Georgia's international friends. The Ambassador noted that
he had shared this concern with others in the GOG. Shashkin
replied that he believes the GOG must deliver the "real
product" of democratic reforms and rule of law.

MINISTRY STRUCTURE


4. (C) Shashkin said his first-year work plan would be ready
by mid-March. His ministry contains three departments,
including penitentiary and probation, a training center, and
legal aid. The MCLA is slated to have 100 staff members, but
Shashkin believes he can run it effectively with 75. He is
currently trying to hire qualified people, and is
communicating with NGOs as well. He hopes to pick up some of
the OSCE mission's staff when it closes. Shashkin wants to
bring in as many "new, clean people" as possible. Shashkin
said the ministry has its own general inspection and
investigative units. Of four deputy minister positions,
Shashkin was asked to keep only one specific person, David
Jagua, a confidante of former prisons chief Bacho Akhalaia.
Shashkin said this would not prevent him from running the
ministry and implementing reforms his way, and he will
Qministry and implementing reforms his way, and he will
appoint others to the remaining deputy minister slots.
Shashkin told the Ambassador that he does not believe
Akhalaia's notorious legacy will haunt the ministry.

FIRST THINGS FIRST


5. (C) Shashkin acknowledged that much international
criticism exists regarding Georgia's current penal system.
He said he will focus first on creating a probationary system
for the country, because the current system is completely
broken. He said there are 19,000 prisoners and 23,000
parolees in the country. Consequently, probation officers
have over 700 cases at a time, and Shashkin said
corruption/bribery in the monitoring system is rampant.
Although he is moving money from his budget to address the
probation issue, he will also look for western assistance in
this area. Shashkin believes he can quickly deliver
measurable progress. He hopes to use electronic monitoring
bracelets, fingerprint signatures, and other technology to
improve Georgia's capacity to track convicts released on

TBILISI 00000453 002 OF 002


probation. He wants to improve the ministry's country-wide
communication and IT systems to full integration, modeled
after the successful, USAID-sponsored Civil Registry Agency
reform program.

OTHER PROBLEMS, NOT SO FAST


6. (C) Other problems will take much longer to solve, said
Shashkin. Foremost among these is bad prison conditions.
Given budget constraints, Shashkin said this will take years
to fully correct. Shashkin said that the GOG is in the
process of destroying several prisons, and he will open two
new ones this year, markedly improving the situation. Prison
healthcare is a more troubling problem, since the Aldagi
Insurance Co. no longer sponsors treatment for prisoners and
the Ministry of Health has refused to take responsibility for
prisons. Shashkin said that he does not lack doctors or
nurses, but rather equipment, psychologists, and
rehabilitation specialists. He requested USG and
international assistance in this area as well. Shashkin said
that he plans to take responsibility for healthcare in-house
for several years, until they can normalize a system that can
be turned over to the Ministry of Health.

OTHER ISSUES; USG INVOLVEMENT


7. (C) The Ambassador asked Shashkin how his plans would
affect the high percentage of people who are arrested and
kept in pre-trial detention. Shashkin said those persons
awaiting charges do not fall under his ministry, but rather
the Ministry of Justice. He said "all" of the so-called
thieves-in-law are held in prison, with Krik being the
country's highest-security prison. The minister said he is
also working with NGOs to determine appropriate visiting
hours and regulations for prisoners. He said communication
with NGOs are a priority for his ministry.


8. (C) The Ambassador said that the USG does not generally
provide direct aid for prisons, but that some of the
probation ideas were worth consideration. Shashkin agreed
that he needed assistance for probation, and not for prisons.
The minister also asked again for USG help in conveying
Georgia's successes publicly to the broader western public.
As an example, Shashkin noted that his legal aid department
(formerly under the MOJ) had provided assistance in many
cases where people were charged. Finally, he told the
Ambassador he is tracking down where significant EU
contributions -- dedicated to prison facility upgrades -- had
gone since many prisons remained in bad shape.
TEFFT