The Council of Europe Office in Georgia supported discussions of a draft legislative package on restorative justice, prepared by the National Agency of Crime Prevention, Execution of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation. The main aim of this meeting was to assist the authorities in broadening the scope of restorative justice within the country.

The proposed law on restorative justice seeks to establish a legal framework for implementing restorative justice practices currently absent from the Georgian legal system. Its principal objective is to facilitate the use of victim-offender mediation and restorative justice programs throughout all stages of criminal proceedings, aligning with recommendations outlined in the Needs Assessment Report prepared by Council of Europe consultants as part of the project.

Over the course of a two-day meeting, mediators, prosecutors, judges, lawyers, social workers and representatives from the penitentiary service actively engaged in discussions and shared their perspectives regarding the draft law. The Council of Europe international expert on restorative justice provided insights and standards to ensure that the draft law is in line with the Recommendation CM/Rec (2018)8 of the Committee of Ministers Concerning Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters and the Venice Declaration on the Role of Restorative Justice in Criminal Matters.

The activity was implemented by the Council of Europe Project “Promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Georgia.”