The Special Penitentiary Service has released a statement regarding the circulating information about the number of convicted individuals in Georgia.

The Penitentiary Service clarifies that the figures published by GeoStat encompass all convicted persons nationwide, including both those sentenced to custodial terms and those serving non-custodial sentences.

“The Special Penitentiary Service is responding to circulating information regarding the number of convicted persons in Georgia, suggesting that the total number of convicts in 2025 stood at 22,767. For accurate public information, we wish to clarify that the data published by the National Statistics Office of Georgia (GeoStat) encompasses all convicted persons across the country, both those sentenced to imprisonment who are serving their sentences in penitentiary institutions, and those serving non-custodial sentences outside of penitentiary institutions (suspended sentences, house arrest, fines, and others).

The Criminal Code of Georgia provides for both custodial and non-custodial forms of punishment. Imprisonment constitutes a form of custodial sentence, and only those convicted to a term of imprisonment serve their sentences within the institutions of the Special Penitentiary Service.

As of 31 December 2025, the number of convicted persons serving sentences within the penitentiary system stood at 8,702,” reads the statement of the Special Penitentiary Service.

The Special Penitentiary Service further calls upon all interested parties, when citing statistical data, to verify what a given set of figures actually encompasses and what its substantive definition entails.

“The misinterpretation of data contributes to the misinformation of the public and creates false impressions of the reality on the ground,” the statement of the Special Penitentiary Service reads.