Ministry of Justice to Give Money to Have Prisoners’ Tattoos Removed

The Ministry of Justice has signed a grant agreement with the nonprofit Charity Humanitarian Centre ‘Abkhazeti’ (CHCA) to fund a program that will remove tattoos from incarcerated juveniles and formerly incarcerated adults in an effort to rehabilitate those individuals once they leave prison, the Ministry announced in a press release on Monday.

Minister Tea Tsulukiani and CHCA’s Executive Director Napoleon Milorava were signatures of the agreement.

“The Ministry of Justice will issue a total of 48 thousand lari to the NGO for ex-prisoners or inmates who are serving their sentences in Prison No. 2 and No. 11 to remove tattoos that prevent them from rehabilitation and resocialization,” the Minister said.

“Since 2013, we have removed the tattoos of 130 prisoners, which allowed them to feel full members of society,” she continued.

CHCA was established in 1995 to address the needs of those living in conflict-affected areas and other socially vulnerable persons. Formed in response to the violent conflicts in Abkhazia, CHCA has implemented a wide range of programs, including education and microfinance initiatives, emergency relief and housing assistance.

Under the grant program, formerly incarcerated individuals, juveniles under conditional sentences and juveniles housed in penitentiary established No. 2 and No. 11 will receive free tattoos that will mask their current tattoos.

The duration of the program is six months, and the budget is 48,548 GEL.

The first state program to assist formerly incarcerated individuals began in 2012, an initiative of Minister Tsulukiani. Due to the social stigma surrounding tattoos, tattooed ex-convicts often find it difficult to get a job once they leave prison. The program hopes to rehabilitate them and thus reduce recidivism rates.

By Lucy Papachristou

Photo Source: Flickr