ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER OF GEORGIA 2013 right to video visits (through direct audio and visual TV bridge) with anyone. Authorization of both conjugal visits and video visits for all categories of prisoners would be a positive change furthering the goal of prisoner resocialization. Moreover, video visits can be used not only by family members but friends and other close people. The prohibition under the Code of Imprisonment on the use of video visits by a certain category of prisoners seems to be an additional punishment and is therefore unjustified since any prohibition or restriction must be individual and duly substantiated in each specific case. Table 2: Data concerning the use of video visits № Name of the Penitentiary Institution Number of video visits 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 Institution No. 5 Institution No. 9 Institution No. 11 Institution No. 15 Institution No. 16 Institution No. 17 1 0 4 104 73 77 According to Paragraph 2 of the Order of the Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance No. 55 dated 5 April 2011, a video visit to a sentenced prisoner may be administered not more than once in any 10 calendar-day period, on workdays, from 10:00 till 18:00 hrs. Each video visit may not exceed 15 minutes. Under Article 171(1)(4) of the Code of Imprisonment, there is an established fee for each video visit payable through wire transfer to the account of the National Probation Agency. Money collected through these payments are then used for implementing the purposes and functions of the Agency. The Minister of Corrections is entitled to release a prisoner from the duty of paying the fee for a video visit. Under paragraph 41 of the same provision, the fee is not payable also by individuals referred to in Article 17(2) of the Code of Imprisonment who are registered in the Unified Database of Socially Unprotected Families whose socio-economic score is less than the Government-determined marginal score of eligibility for receiving subsistence allowance. The fee for a video visit must be paid by a person who wishes to have such a visit or the prisoner’s legal representative. The Minister of Corrections determines a list of institutions for sentenced prisoners where video visits are allowed as well as the permitted number, duration and the procedure of administering video visits. Recommendation to the Minister of Corrections: QQ To provide all of the penitentiary institutions with infrastructure required for administering video visits. Phone conversations Under international norms and established standards, the right to a phone conversation is one of the important rights of prisoners in terms of maintaining contact with the outside world. Article 14 of the Code of Imprisonment recognizes the prisoners’ right to have phone conversation. Prisoners may use a shared telephone if there is one in the institution. Under Article 19 of the Code, prisoners are responsible for paying for their phone conversations. Conversations are subject to the administration’s control. A sentenced prisoner will be allowed to have a phone conversation after he/she files a written application in which he/she must indicate the addressee’s telephone number and call duration. Pursuant to Article 62(2)(c) of the Code of Imprisonment, sentenced prisoners in half-open institutions are entitled to 4 phone conversations during a month, at their own expense. Each conversation may not last more than 15 minutes. However, as an incentive measure, they may have an unlimited number of conversations at their own NPM Report 22