Situation at Penitentiary Establishments In the reporting period, infrastructure for operation of video communication was in place in establishments N11, N15, N16 and N17. During the reporting period video communication was used by 1289 convicts, out of which 24 were from N11 establishment; 653 convicts from – N15 establishment; and 174 persons – from N17 establishment. Access of all categories of prisoners to long-term visits as well as video communication would have been a positive change and this would had a been a great contribution into the process of resocialization of convicts, but all the more, use of video communication may be exercised by not only members of the family and friends but close associates as well. A provision of the Imprisonment Code that prohibits convicts of certain category to use video communication carries characteristics of additional punishment and is unacceptable in this sense as all prohibition and restrictions should be individual and substantiated with relevance to a concrete case. Suggestion to the Parliament of Georgia: Introduce relevant amendments and annexes into the Imprisonment Code that would ensure the right of all convicts to video communication. Recommendations to the Chairman of the Penitentiary Department: To ensure short-term visits without glass partitions and iron grid; all exceptions to be substantiated individually, based on concrete situation and personality of a convict (visitor); Telephone conversations According to the Imprisonment Code, in a semi-open penitentiary institutions for deprivation of liberty a convict has a right to have three telephone conversations at one’s own expense on the course of one month, for no more than 15 minutes each, while in closed-type penitentiary establishments prisoners may have two telephone conversations at their own expense, each of them - for no more than 15 minutes. It shall be noted that convicts in Zugdidi N4 establishment do not have a right to call abroad. In their words, some of them do not have family and relatives in Georgia and they are deprived of opportunity of communicating with them. Recommendation to the Penitentiary Department: To ensure complete enforcement of the right of all prisoners to telephone communication, including, with respect to interests of those persons relatives and family of whom are not in Georgia; To ensure preparation of standard, reusable telephone cards for convicts. NPM Report 2012 Convicts have a right to telephone to dial and talk with three phone numbers for 15 minutes with the use of phone cards. After making several calls the convict has to purchase several telephone cards and incur additional expenses. It shall be noted that after appointment of a new management in administration convicts of all establishments have the right for telephone conversations for the duration stipulated in the law and to several phone numbers, though exception is establishment N8, where there are no telephones at the penitentiary establishment and supposedly this is a consequence of incorrect interpretation of law.