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Georgia

Improvement of the database of the convicted and transfer of the penitentiary department entirely onto the electronic workflow management (GE0053)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: Georgia National Action Plan 2016-2018

Action Plan Cycle: 2016

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: Ministry of Corrections of Georgia

Support Institution(s): EU Technical Assistance Project

Policy Areas

Capacity Building, E-Government, Justice, Records Management

IRM Review

IRM Report: Georgia Mid-Term Report 2016-2018

Starred: No

Early Results: Pending IRM Review

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Not Relevant

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

Improvement of the database of the convicted and transfer of the penitentiary department entirely onto the electronic workflow management; The Ministry of Corrections of Georgia will improve the existing or create a new convicted database for 2017. The existing database cannot provide adequate processing\sorting of the data; complete data is not outlined in the database, and appropriate filtration is not possible. Updated database will be introduced gradually. At the first stage the shortcomings of the existing system will be identified. The Ministry will study good practices of various countries and successful systems in this field. At the later stage, the future system model will be developed and tested. The updated base will allow the entire transfer of Penitentiary System and Penitentiary Department to an electronic workflow management system. Concurrently, this will enable better processing and analysis of statistical data, and better protection of personal data. Date of Implementation: 2016-2017; Issues to be Addressed: Existing electronic database containing a huge amount of information, does not allow thorough data processing and a complete transfer of the Penitentiary Department onto the electronic workflow management system due to technical restrictions. In addition, the database does not contain all the material of personal files of the convicted; hence, it does not meet modern standards. Main Objective: - Support the classification process according the risk of the convicted in the penitentiary system as a result of thorough processing of information; - Implementation of relevant rehabilitation- re-socialization programs; - Expediting the workflow management and public information delivery; - Supporting efficient, productive and economic disposal of the budget resources.

IRM Midterm Status Summary

12. Improvement of the database of the convicted and transfer of the penitentiary department entirely onto the electronic workflow management

Commitment Text:

The Ministry of Corrections of Georgia will improve the existing or create a new convicted database for 2017. The existing database cannot provide adequate processing/sorting of the data; complete data is not outlined in the database, and appropriate filtration is not possible.

Updated database will be introduced gradually. At the first stage the shortcomings of the existing system will be identified. The Ministry will study good practices of various countries and successful systems in this field. At the later stage, the future system model will be developed and tested.

The updated base will allow the entire transfer of Penitentiary System and Penitentiary Department to an electronic workflow management system. Concurrently, this will enable better processing and analysis of statistical data, and better protection of personal data.

Responsible institution: Ministry of Corrections of Georgia

Supporting institution(s): European Union (EU) Technical Assistance Project

Start date: April 2016

End date: December 2017

Context and Objectives

Georgia’s penitentiary system has long been opaque. The public has had very little information about the processes within the system and even specialized organizations face difficulties in obtaining official data about prisoners and their conditions. This is partly due to the fact that the Ministry of Corrections lacks comprehensive databases of the convicted, while the existing databases are not integrated with each other, making it challenging for the Ministry to respond to external requests for information.[1] Under this commitment, the Ministry of Corrections pledges to study the shortcomings of the existing databases, study the best international standards for building and running the databases of the convicted, and update or create a new database based on those best standards.

While being a step forward in improving the data classification and management processes within the penitentiary system, the updated database will be for internal use and citizens could only indirectly benefit from it if they receive some information through an FoI request. Therefore, this commitment has an unclear connection to OGP values and will have only a minor impact on improving the public availability of data within the penitentiary system.

Completion

At the midterm point, the commitment saw limited implementation. The Ministry of Corrections has worked on improving its databases in partnership with the European Union for Justice Project. The assessment conducted within the system identified the need to harmonize different databases of the convicted and to create a new unified database, which would automatically generate the information needed. According to the Ministry representative, the new database will be for internal use only. Even within the penitentiary system, there will be different levels of access to it, meaning that not everyone will have the full access.[2] For instance, medical records of the convicted should only be accessed by the Medical Department whereas the data on the rehabilitation programs of the convicted should be accessed by the National Probation Agency.[3]

The Ministry developed a concept for the new electronic system that would allow for better processing and management of the prisoners’ data. Yet they could not afford buying the necessary software, which is costly. While the Ministry asked for external donor assistance, specifically from the UN, the latter refused to address their request since in the past UN-funded databases of a similar kind were not used in practice by the responsible agencies. Therefore, in cooperation with the European Union for Justice Project, the Ministry is focused on improving the existing databases and complementing them with additional information to allow for more rigorous analysis of the data. This project runs until May 2019 and the database updating process should be completed by then.[4]

Next Steps

Stakeholders think it is important that the Ministry of Corrections is committed to improving its databases of the convicted, which would allow for deeper analysis and categorization of this data internally as well as for producing more informative statistics for external use. However, the Ministry should also place a special focus on proactively publishing the statistics that are in high public demand, such as the total number of prisoners and the percentage of prison population by penitentiary facility, confinement regime, gender, age, citizenship, and crime type. In addition, the Ministry should start producing the reoffending data, which would allow citizens to find out how likely it is that those released from custody will go on to commit further offences, and how many offences they will typically commit. Publishing such data would also help organizations running the prisoner rehabilitation programs measure the impact of their work and improve the outcomes for offenders.[5]

On a related note, the Ministry of Corrections could increase the transparency of its spending and start publishing detailed statistics on how it is spending public funds. For instance, citizens should know what percentage of the state budget is allocated for improving the conditions of medical facilities within the prisons and the catering of each prisoner, as well as the effects of state-funded rehabilitation/resocialization programs among the offenders. This would also help the Ministry better diagnose the problems within the system and develop viable mechanisms for addressing those problems.[6]

[1] Tsira Chanturia, Regional Director at Penal Reform International (PRI) in Georgia, and Irena Gabunia, Fundraiser/Project Coordinator at PRI, interview with IRM researcher, August 29, 2017.

[2] Elena Beradze, Head of Department of International Relations and European Integration at Ministry of Corrections, interview with IRM researcher, August 11, 2017.

[3] Tinatin Uplisashvili, Deputy Team Leader of Penitentiary and Probation Support Project of the EU Technical Assistance Project, interview with IRM researcher, August 16, 2017.

[4] Uplisashvili, interview, August 2017.

[5] Chanturia and Gabunia, interview, August 2017.

[6] Chanturia and Gabunia, interview, August 2017.

Georgia's Commitments

  1. improved public services

    GE0066, 2018, Capacity Building

  2. citizen engagement platform

    GE0067, 2018, Capacity Building

  3. unified authentication system

    GE0068, 2018, E-Government

  4. economic governance

    GE0069, 2018, E-Government

  5. environment portal

    GE0070, 2018, E-Government

  6. strengthen anti-corruption institutions

    GE0071, 2018, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  7. Monitor SDGs

    GE0072, 2018, Capacity Building

  8. citizen engagement legislation

    GE0073, 2018, Legislation & Regulation

  9. publish court decisions

    GE0074, 2018, E-Government

  10. Increasing transparency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

    GE0075, 2018, E-Government

  11. citizen participation in public finance

    GE0076, 2018, Audits and Controls

  12. transparent public funding system

    GE0077, 2018, Fiscal Transparency

  13. public procurement improvements

    GE0078, 2018, E-Government

  14. housing policy planning

    GE0079, 2018, Land & Spatial Planning

  15. Openness and accountability of state-owned enterprises

    GE0080, 2018, E-Government

  16. transparency and good governance

    GE0081, 2018, Legislation & Regulation

  17. open data collection and publication

    GE0082, 2018, E-Government

  18. participation for disabled individuals

    GE0083, 2018, Infrastructure & Transport

  19. Participatory budgeting

    GE0084, 2018, Capacity Building

  20. Your idea for the Zugdidi Mayor

    GE0085, 2018, Capacity Building

  21. electronic services

    GE0086, 2018, E-Government

  22. I. Gov. Zugdidi

    GE0087, 2018, Capacity Building

  23. service and citizen satisfaction assessment

    GE0088, 2018, Capacity Building

  24. Promoting and Monitoring SDGs

    GE0089, 2018, Legislature

  25. Citizen involvement in budget

    GE0090, 2018, E-Government

  26. Technology for Transparency

    GE0091, 2018, E-Government

  27. Citizen Engagement Center

    GE0092, 2018, Capacity Building

  28. Raising Public Awareness about Parliamentary Democracy

    GE0093, 2018, E-Government

  29. Electronic innovations for more transparency and efficiency of Public Procurement

    GE0056, 2016, Capacity Building

  30. Starred commitment Adoption of the Environmental Assessment Code

    GE0057, 2016, Capacity Building

  31. Introduction of a mobile app as an alternative channel to connect to “112”

    GE0058, 2016, E-Government

  32. Development of local councils for crime prevention

    GE0059, 2016, Public Service Delivery

  33. Development of a Guidebook for Economic Agents

    GE0060, 2016, Capacity Building

  34. Development and introduction of the quality control program of commercial service

    GE0061, 2016, Capacity Building

  35. Presentation of company reports in an electronic form and provision of their accessibility

    GE0062, 2016, Capacity Building

  36. Introduction of an electronic petition portal and “Zugdidi-INFO” on the webpage of Zugdidi Municipality Assembly

    GE0063, 2016, Capacity Building

  37. Transparency of Ozurgeti Municipality Assembly meetings

    GE0064, 2016, Capacity Building

  38. Creation of Electronic Mechanism for Local Budget Planning in Kutaisi, Ozurgeti, Batumi and Akhaltsikhe

    GE0065, 2016, E-Government

  39. Adapting the Public Service Hall to the needs of the people with disabilities

    GE0042, 2016, Capacity Building

  40. Launch of the unified healthcare system information portal

    GE0043, 2016, Capacity Building

  41. Introduction of electronic licensing system in the field of natural resources application

    GE0044, 2016, Capacity Building

  42. Creation of spatial (Geographic) data web-portal for the energy sector

    GE0045, 2016, Capacity Building

  43. Creation of innovation ecosystem

    GE0046, 2016, Capacity Building

  44. Electronic portal for registering and disposal of State Property – Customer’s Module

    GE0047, 2016, E-Government

  45. Development of the Freedom of Information Law

    GE0048, 2016, Legislation & Regulation

  46. Development of a monitoring and assessment system of the Government policy and legislative acts

    GE0049, 2016, Capacity Building

  47. Starred commitment Introduction of the public officials’ asset declarations monitoring system

    GE0050, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  48. Establishing unified regulations to publish court decisions

    GE0051, 2016, Judiciary

  49. Development of transparency and integrity strategy and action plan in the field of regional development and infrastructure

    GE0052, 2016, Capacity Building

  50. Improvement of the database of the convicted and transfer of the penitentiary department entirely onto the electronic workflow management

    GE0053, 2016, Capacity Building

  51. Publication of phone tapping data according to the nature of the crime and geographic area

    GE0054, 2016, E-Government

  52. Starred commitment Increasing citizen participation in supervision of public finances (Public Audit)

    GE0055, 2016, Capacity Building

  53. "Voice of the Consumer"

    GE0013, 2014, Public Participation

  54. JUSTdrive

    GE0014, 2014, Public Service Delivery

  55. Educational services

    GE0015, 2014, Public Service Delivery

  56. Citizen's Portal (www.mygov.ge)

    GE0016, 2014, Capacity Building

  57. Transformation of public libraries for regional development

    GE0017, 2014, Capacity Building

  58. Digital signature and online authentication

    GE0018, 2014, E-Government

  59. Open data portal (data.gov.ge)

    GE0019, 2014, E-Government

  60. Freedom of information act (FoIA) draft

    GE0020, 2014, Legislation & Regulation

  61. Georgia's OGP forum

    GE0021, 2014, OGP

  62. I-Change.ge

    GE0022, 2014, E-Government

  63. Transparency of public service recruitment

    GE0023, 2014, E-Government

  64. Asset declaration monitoring system

    GE0024, 2014, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  65. Starred commitment Political party financial declarations

    GE0025, 2014, E-Government

  66. Accessibility of Ministry of Interior's webpage to people with special needs

    GE0026, 2014, E-Government

  67. Starred commitment Proactive publishing of surveillance data

    GE0027, 2014, Civic Space

  68. Public awareness of the electoral process

    GE0028, 2014, Capacity Building

  69. Transparency of budgetary processes

    GE0029, 2014, E-Government

  70. Electronic system of procurement

    GE0030, 2014, E-Government

  71. Digital human resource management system

    GE0031, 2014, E-Government

  72. Digital preservation system: E-archive

    GE0032, 2014, E-Government

  73. Openness and accessibility of national archives

    GE0033, 2014, E-Government

  74. Electronic catalogues of Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) archives

    GE0034, 2014, E-Government

  75. Public finance management system

    GE0035, 2014, E-Government

  76. Alternative channels to "112"

    GE0036, 2014, E-Government

  77. Interactive statistics and crime mapping

    GE0037, 2014, E-Government

  78. Travel insurance services

    GE0038, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration

  79. State property registration

    GE0039, 2014, Public Service Delivery

  80. Development of community centers in Georgia

    GE0040, 2014, E-Government

  81. Introduction of e-governance in local self-governments

    GE0041, 2014, E-Government

  82. Public Service Hall-Hub of Public Services

    GE0001, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration

  83. E-Governance in Local Governments

    GE0002, 2012, E-Government

  84. Citizens’ Portal

    GE0003, 2012, E-Government

  85. Easily Accessible and Better Healthcare

    GE0004, 2012, E-Government

  86. Launch Ichange.ge and Data.gov.ge

    GE0005, 2012, E-Government

  87. Platform for Participating in the Legislative Process

    GE0006, 2012, E-Government

  88. Citizens and Justice

    GE0007, 2012, Judiciary

  89. Starred commitment Transparent Party Financing

    GE0008, 2012,

  90. Home-grown concept of E-procurement

    GE0009, 2012, E-Government

  91. E-declarations

    GE0010, 2012, Asset Disclosure

  92. Technology Cares for Safety: ICCMS, Crime Mapping, and Safety in Your Neighbourhood

    GE0011, 2012, E-Government

  93. NGO Forum

    GE0012, 2012, Capacity Building