There are 9,125 prisoners in Georgia [1]. Although there is currently no data available as to the number of people incarcerated for drug law offences [2], approximately 29% of the prison population were serving sentences for drug law offences in 2018 [3], which would equate to 2,646 prisoners in 2021. The term of imprisonment imposed by courts for drug law offences can be for up to 8 years [4]. HIV prevalence among prisoners in 2019 was estimated at 0.08% [5] with antiretroviral therapy (ART) being available in prisons [6]. Whilst opioid substitution therapy (OST) is available in the prisons of Georgia, needle/syringe programmes (NSP) are not [7].

The Government of Georgia spends €4,599 on each prisoner, per year, or €12.60 per inmate, per day [8].

As of 2016, there were estimated to be 52,500 people who inject drugs in the country [9] with HIV prevalence in 2017 at 2.3% [10]. NSP costs €25.24 per client, per year, and OST costs €241.44 per client, per year [11]. There is no unemployment benefit in Georgia but, during the period of COVID-19 restrictions, a payment of €53.88 per person, per month, was introduced for a period of 6 months [12].

Due to the absence of a formal unemployment benefit, the cost to the Government of Georgia of providing assistance to a person who injects opioid drugs in community settings is a mere €267 per year. This is considerably less than the cost to the state of putting such a person in prison, saving the Government €4,332 per drug user, per year. Consequently, the Government of Georgia could save up to €11.5 million per year by decriminalising drug use and possession.

[1]    World Prison Brief. Georgia. London; Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research, University of London. https://www.prisonstudies.org/country/georgia (accessed 4 August 2021).
[2]    Aebi MF, Tiago MM. SPACE I – 2019 – Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics: Prison populations. Strasbourg; Council of Europe, 2020. https://wp.unil.ch/space/files/2021/02/200405_FinalReport_SPACE_I_2019.pdf (accessed 4 August 2021).
[3]    Aebi MF, Tiago MM. SPACE I – 2018 – Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics: Prison populations. Strasbourg; Council of Europe, updated 11 June 2019. https://wp.unil.ch/space/files/2019/06/FinalReportSPACEI2018_190611-1.pdf (accessed 4 August 2021).
[4]    Ministry of Justice. Chapter XXIII – Drug-related Crime. Criminal Code of Georgia. Tbilisi; Legislative Herald of Georgia, 22 July 1999. https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/download/16426/157/en/pdf (accessed 6 August 2021).
[5]    Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS). The Key Populations Atlas. Geneva; UNAIDS. https://kpatlas.unaids.org/dashboard (accessed 3 August 2021).
[6]    Harm Reduction International (HRI). Global State of Harm Reduction 2020, Regional Overview 2.2 Eurasia. London; HRI, 2021. https://www.hri.global/files/2020/10/26/Global_State_HRI_2020_2_2_Eurasia_FA_WEB.pdf (accessed 3 August 2021).
[7]    Ibid.
[8]    Aebi M F, Tiago MM. SPACE I – 2020 – Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics: Prison populations. Strasbourg; Council of Europe, 2021. https://wp.unil.ch/space/files/2021/04/210330_FinalReport_SPACE_I_2020.pdf (accessed 3 August 2021).
[9]       Sirbiladze T, Tavzarashvili I, Chikovani I. Population Size Estimation of People who Inject Drugs in Georgia 2016. Tbilisi; Curatio International Foundation, 2017. http://curatiofoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/PWID-PSE-Report-2017-ENG.pdf (accessed 6 August 2021).
[10]      Chikovani I, Shengelia N, Sulaberidze L. HIV Risk and Prevention Behaviors Among People who Inject Drugs in Seven Cities of Georgia. Tbilisi; Curatio International Foundation, 2017. http://curatiofoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/PWID-IBBS-Report-2017-ENG.pdf (accessed 6 August 2021).
[11]      Information submitted by national partners.
[12]      Sputnik. The list of recipients of unemployment benefits in Georgia is expanding: who is on it? Tbilisi; Sputnik, 20 May 2020. In Georgian. https://sputnik-georgia.ru/economy/20200520/248534452/Spisok-poluchateley-posobiya-po-bezrabotitse-v-Gruzii-rasshiryaetsya-kto-v-nego-popal.html (accessed 6 August 2021).