Further Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia
Building upon the results achieved from the implementation of the Projects “Support the scaling-up of the probation service in Armenia” and “Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia”, the Project “Further Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia”, financed by the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023 – 2026, assists national authorities in facilitating the use of probation services in the country, thus enhancing community safety and the fair administration of justice.
It is implemented in close cooperation and partnership with the Ministry of Justice and State Probation Service, as well as other national stakeholders, including civil society organisations active in the area of probation.
The Project focuses on the following outcomes:
- strengthening the Probation Service through necessary tools and capacity building interventions - new training programme will be developed and support will be provided to enhance E-probation and application of risk and needs assessment tool as well as pre-release reports;
- improving inter-agency cooperation - regular inter-agency information sharing and coordination meetings as well as workshops will be conducted to ensure effective implementation of the Probation functions;
- improving resocialisation and rehabilitation measures - support will be provided to strengthen the pool of rehabilitation and resocialisation programmes and ensure coordination with the key stakeholders;
- improving regulatory framework on the Probation Service in line with the international standards and best practices in Europe - technical support and expertise will ensure that the pending legislative initiatives are assessed against the CoE standards.
The key documents for this Project are Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)1 on the Council of Europe Probation Rules, Recommendation CM/Rec(2017)3 on the European Rules on community sanctions and measures, Recommendation CM/Rec(2014)4 on electronic monitoring, Recommendation Rec(2003)22 concerning conditional release, as well as the findings and the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The duration of the Project was set at 24 months, and it will be completed on 31 December 2026, with an overall budget of 500,000 Euros.
Project documentation
Useful information
Coaching and Mentoring Programme Pilot Successfully Completed
The Coaching and Mentoring Programme pilot of the Armenian Probation Service concluded with the certification of 15 trainers, marking the successful completion of the initiative and an important step towards its full implementation. A two-day Refresher Training of Trainers held on 3–4 April 2026...
Probation Service Advances Efforts to Improve Early release System in Armenia
A two-day Training of Trainers held on 27–28 March 2026 in Tsaghkadzor brought together 18 staff members of the Armenian Probation Service to prepare for the piloting and rollout of a new pre-release report template aiming to improve decision-making on early conditional release. The new template...
Armenia Launches New Dialogue Platform to Strengthen Coordination in the Probation and Penitentiary Sector
The launch of the inter-agency Commission for the Discussion of Issues Related to the Probation and Penitentiary Sector, marks a major milestone in institutionalising dialogue across its criminal justice system, ensuring structured cooperation, and creating a unified platform for addressing...
Armenia Takes Major Step Toward Evidence-Based Conditional Release with New Pre-Release Reporting Framework
Armenia’s probation system is set for significant improvement following the development of a new, evidence-based framework for pre-release reports. This is an essential tool used to inform conditional-release decisions. The reform marks a significant milestone in reinforcing...
Pilot of Armenia’s New Substance Use Treatment Programme Successfully Completed
Armenia has taken a major step forward in strengthening rehabilitation of vulnerable offenders through the implementation of a new Substance Use Treatment Programme, successfully piloted from June to October 2025. Designed as a cognitive-behavioural, motivational, and rehabilitation-oriented...
Enhancing Armenia's Probation Service through targeted training of trainers
With the aim to enhance the rehabilitation of offenders in probation, Council of Europe kicked off the first specialised training of trainers on the Holistic Coaching and Mentoring Programme. Participants from all the regional offices of the Probation Service and the “Centre for Legal Education...
First specialised learning programme in Armenia for trainers on the substance use by offenders under probation
Council of Europe supported the first specialised learning programme for trainers on the Substance Use Programme for rehabilitation of offenders under probation. This event brought together psychologists from Probation and Penitentiary Services as well as from the “Centre for Legal Education and...
Kick-off of two new follow-up Projects in Armenia “Further strengthening the protection of the rights of persons in detention” and “Further strengthening the Probation Service”
The first joint Steering Committee meeting of the Projects “Further strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention” and “Further strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia” was held on 13 March 2025 to mark the start of these two Projects. Building upon the results of the...
European Prison Rules
CPDL Highlights
