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

Useful information

PROJECT NEWS

Back 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 and the medical staff of the penitentiary institutions of Armenia.

As result of the discussions, the participants agreed on the methodology for piloting and validation of the tools, selected three pilot prison facilities, decided on the number of participants, and training formats. The Road Map with specific actions, methodology and timeline, frames three months of the piloting stage including the evaluation of the results and their roll out at the national level.

The participants highlighted the importance to find the solution to address suicide and self-harm cases in the penitentiary institutions and ensure their prevention in line with the National Strategy on suicide prevention and an Action Plan for 2021-2022 adopted by the Ministry of Justice in December 2020.

The Tool kit was developed within the framework of the project “Enhancing health care and human rights protection in prisons in Armenia” implemented by the Council of Europe and financed by the Action Plan for Armenia 2019 -2022.

Armenia 07 July 2021