1. REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM 1.1.INTRODUCTION 2019 marks the tenth anniversary of the National Preventive Mechanism of Georgia. According to the legislative amendments made in 2009, the Public Defender of Georgia was granted a special mandate determined by the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. As of today, the National Preventive Mechanism is established as a separate structural unit. Under the recommendation of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, since 2019, the budget of the mechanism has been established separately. There are six professional public officials and one contracted official discharging their functions within the department. During visits, 40 members of the Special Preventive Group support the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism. There is a consultative council, which is designed to ensure the effectiveness and transparency of the National Preventive Mechanism. The National Preventive Mechanism is aimed at studying, observing and identifying shortcomings in closed institutions (the Ministry of Internal Affairs, penitentiary and psychiatric establishments) as well as suggesting recommendations to relevant administrations so that they establish procedural safeguards that would exclude/reduce/bring to minimum incidents of ill-treatment. We plan to make the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism faster and more effective. Since 2019, all the post-visit reports are developed in the shortest periods possible. At the first stage, the document is shared with the respective agency and made public later. The National Preventive Mechanism plans visits, made at the beginning of each year, according to its prescheduled plan. This plan can be modified according to the information supplied by the thematic departments (Department of Criminal Justice and the Department of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities). The National Preventive Mechanism applies considerable efforts towards the fulfilment of its recommendations; it maintains a constant dialogue with state bodies and is always oriented towards the effective implementation of its recommendations. 1.2.PREVENTIVE VISITS The task entrusted to the National Preventive Mechanism, as a part of the global system of torture prevention is to identify risk factors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or