Enhancing Health care and Human Rights protection in prisons in Armenia
This 30-months project is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022. It is implemented by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and the Penitentiary Medicine Center.
The aim of the project is to further support the national authorities in reforming healthcare provision and human rights for sentenced persons in Armenia in line with the European standards.
Attention will be given to the following three areas:
- enhancing regulatory and operational framework for provision of in line with European standards;
- improvement of the material conditions and the provision of healthcare in prisons;
- capacity building of the Penitentiary Medicine Centre (PMC).
The project will particularly focus on the improvement of prison healthcare services through introduction of new technologies in healthcare services, such as telemedicine and electronic database system of medical records, ensuring protection of healthcare rights of mentally-ill persons in penitentiary institutions, improvement of preventive healthcare, particularly sanitary-epidemiological and hygienic conditions and control mechanism, modernizing hospital/specialized medical care and services in the penitentiary institutions. Project activities should significantly contribute to improving effectiveness, transparency and accountability of penitentiary prison healthcare in general and the PMC in particular. Proper documentation and reporting on indications of torture, ill-treatment, inhumane and degrading treatment will stay in focus and addressed.
The amount devoted to this project is 750,000 Euros and its implementation started in November 2019 to end in December 2022.Project documentation
- Work plan from October to December 2022
- Work plan form July to September 2022
- Work plan from April to June 2022
- Work plan from January to March 2022
- Work plan from October to December 2021
- Work plan from July to September 2021
- Work plan from April to June 2021
- Work plan from January to March 2021
- Work plan from September to December 2020
- Work plan from July to September 2020
- Work plan from April to June 2020)
Useful information
Joint trainings for psychologists and psychiatrists of Armenian penitentiary institutions
In an effort to support Armenia in strengthening mental health care in penitentiary institutions, a series of specialised training sessions were organised on 25-26 and 29-30 August 2023. Over 20 psychologists and psychiatrists representing the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health...
Professional First Aid Training for the Penitentiary Medical Staff of Armenia is Being Launched
A series of 2-day Professional First Aid accredited training sessions for the medical staff of the penitentiary institutions was launched in Abovyan penitentiary institution on 30-31 March 2022. The skilled-based training requested by the “Prison Medicine Centre” supports the capacity building of...
Q&A coaching session on piloting the toolkit on mental health and in-depth needs and risks assessment in pilot prisons in Armenia
Psychologists and psychotherapists from three pilot prisons (Armavir, Abovyan and Kosh) provided a positive feedback on the application of a toolkit on mental health needs and risks in-depth assessment, discussed the piloting process and decided on steps to improve and finalize the assessment....
Workshop on complaint procedures within the penitentiary system in Armenia
A great number of representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the “Penitentiary Medical Centre” SNCO, the office of the Human Rights Ombudsperson, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Department for the Execution of Judgments and Decisions of the Office of Representation of Armenia before the...
Q&A coaching session on piloting the toolkit for the prevention of suicide and self-harm in pilot prisons in Armenia
Staff working in three pilot prisons (Armavir, Abovyan and Kosh) chosen for piloting a toolkit for prevention of suicide and self-harm provided feedback on this tool with the aim to further improving and finalizing it. The agenda of the Q&A coaching session was based on the questions the...
Armenian penitentiary health care staff trained on provision of health care in prisons
Prison medical staff (18) strengthened their knowledge and practical skills on provision of health care in penitentiary system, and in particular on hunger strike management, prevention of suicide, medical control, psychiatric assistance, and care for patients at self-harm risk, as well as...
Armenian Prison Healthcare Staff Trained on Prevention and Control of Health Care-Associated Infections
The 17 prison medical staff strengthened their knowledge and practical skills on prevention of infections conditioned by medical interventions in penitentiary medical facilities. The training programme is based on a manual earlier developed by the project including inter alia the right to...
Evaluation visits on piloting of the mental health, suicide and self-harm RNA toolkits in penitentiary institutions in Armenia
The first evaluation visits to assess the progress of piloting the toolkits on the suicide and self-harm behavior screening and the assessment of the mental health took place in three selected prisons, Kosh, Armavir and Abovyan (the female prison in Armenia). The aim of the visits was to assess...
Armenian penitentiary medical staff expanded their knowledge on documentation and reporting on cases of ill-treatment
A total of 146 medical staff of the penitentiary system in Armenia completed the programme on prevention of ill-treatment in prisons. The training programme was tailored to professional needs of penitentiary medical staff in line with legal amendments recently introduced by the Ministry of...
Armenia - new approach to the treatment of mental health, suicide and self-harm prevention in penitentiary institutions following the Council of Europe recommendations
The Minister of Justice of Armenia amended the Decree N-279 on “Approving the Order of the Activities of the Structural Subunits Implementing Social, Psychological and Legal Work with Inmates” in line with the Council of Europe recommendations and rectified the punitive approach to acts of...
Training for prison staff on screening and risk and needs assessment of suicide and self-harm behaviour in penitentiary institutions in Armenia
Employees of the Prison Medicine Centre subunits, prison psychologists, and officers from the Security Unit of the penitentiary institutions enhanced their knowledge on the suicide and self-harm prevention in line with the Council of Europe standards, including initial screening and in-depth...
Training on piloting the Mental Health Screening and Risk and Needs In-depth Assessment toolkit for the Penitentiary System in Armenia
From 27 to 30 July 2021, a training on piloting the Toolkit for Mental Health Screening and Risk and Needs In-depth Assessment took place in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. Representatives of the “Prison Medicine Centre” SNCO subunits, and psychologists of the penitentiary institutions where the toolkit...
Second Piloting of CoE HELP Course on CPT Standards Launched in Armenia
Following a successful completion of the first pilot course of the Council of Europe Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) on the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) standards, another...
Tool Kit for the Prevention of Suicide and Self-Harm Behaviour in Penitentiary Institutions in Armenia
A Screening and an In-Depth Risk Assessment tools for the prevention of suicide and self-harm cases in prisons as well as a road map for their piloting were presented in online format on 28 June 2021 to representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Human Rights Defender’s Office...
Mental Health Screening and Risk and Needs Assessment Toolkit for the Penitentiary System in Armenia
The Toolkit for Mental Health Screening and Risk and Needs In-depth Assessment developed under the Project were presented to the medical staff of the penitentiary institutions of Armenia. The participants appreciated the toolkit based on the Council of Europe standards that will enable them to...
The first Working Group meeting on introduction of telemedicine in the Penitentiary system in Armenia
Representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Prison Medicine Centre SNCO of the Republic of Armenia, Council of Europe national and international consultants participated in the first online working group meeting on 15 March 2021 to discuss and decide on the requirements for piloting...
CoE HELP Course on CPT Standards launched in Armenia
A group of 24 professionals from the Ministry of Justice, the Prison Medicine Centre and the Human Rights Defender’s Office got acquainted with the Council of Europe (CoE) HELP course on the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or...
Introducing telemedicine in penitentiary system in Armenia
A workshop on ‘’International practices on the telemedicine in penitentiary institutions’’ was organised online on 29 January 2021. The representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, and the Prison Medicine Centre of the Republic of Armenia were acquainted with the general...
Workshop on Monitoring and Oversight of Penitentiary Health Services in Armenia
A workshop on monitoring and oversight of health services in the penitentiary system took place online on 14 December 2020. A “Report on the Policy and Legal Framework for Monitoring and Oversight of Penitentiary Health Services” was presented to representatives of the Ministry of Justice,...
Adopted Strategy for the Prevention of Suicide and Self-harm in Penitentiary Institutions of the Republic of Armenia
Following the Council of Europe technical cooperation assistance, on 11 December 2020, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia has adopted the Strategy for the Prevention of Suicide and Self-harm in Penitentiary Institutions of the Republic of Armenia and its Implementation Action Plan...
Launch of Two Projects on Penitentiary and Probation Areas in Armenia
On 11 February, two Council of Europe Projects, on “Enhancing Health Care and Human Rights Protection in Prisons in Armenia” and “Support the scaling-up of the probation service in Armenia”, as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022, were launched, presenting the overall...
European Prison Rules
CPDL Highlights
