Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention in Armenia

Building upon the results achieved from the implementation of the Project “Enhancing healthcare and human rights protection in prisons in Armenia”, the Project “Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention” financed by Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023 – 2026 assists the Armenian authorities to further enhance penitentiary reform and prison health care, and the protection of the human rights of persons deprived of liberty. The Council of Europe is providing support at policy and operational levels assisting authorities to accomplish penitentiary reform goals and trigger changes in practices throughout the prison system especially after the adoption of the Criminal Code, Criminal Procedural Code as well as Penitentiary Code in June 2022.
The Project is implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Prison Medicine Centre, as well as other stakeholders including the civil society organisations.
The Project focuses on following priority areas:

Further enhancing the institutional capacity of the Prison Medicine Centre in order to provide quality health care in the penitentiary system;
Further consolidating the knowledge and skills of medical and non-medical staff on different topics on provision of health care;
Strengthening the capacities of prison staff to apply tools and rehabilitation programmes for persons deprived of liberty;
Harmonizing the regulatory framework on human rights with the new Penitentiary Code.

The key Conventions for this Project are the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), as well as the findings and the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The duration of the Project was set at 24 months, and it was completed on 31 December 2024, with an overall budget of 550 000 Euros.

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Back Working group meeting on piloting new risk and needs assessment tool: Enhancing rehabilitation for convicts

@ Council of Europe

The Council of Europe, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Penitentiary Service of Armenia, has introduced a new risk and needs assessment (RNA) tool for convicts during a working group meeting on 6 November 2023 in Yerevan. The RNA tool is designed to identify the unique challenges and circumstances faced by inmates, serving as a basis for designing and implementing resocialisation programmes tailored to their specific needs, thus contributing to achieving the overarching goal of building a fairer and more rehabilitative criminal justice system.

The working group meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Penitentiary Service, and the heads of those four penitentiary institutions where this tool will be piloted. The stakeholders were introduced to the newly developed RNA tool and outlined the plan for its piloting phase, during which they will collect feedback on its effectiveness.

During the meeting, it was underlined that the RNA tool has the potential to improve the way convicts are assessed and rehabilitated. It is designed with a profound understanding of the diverse needs and backgrounds of individuals serving criminal sentences. This tool may enable more accurate risk assessments, leading to personalised rehabilitation programmes that increase the likelihood of successful reintegration into society and reduce reoffending rates. It offers a human-centred approach to criminal justice, addressing the underlying issues that contribute to criminal behaviour more effectively.

This event is part of the Council of Europe’s support within the framework of the Project “Strengthening the protection of the rights of persons in detention” that assists the national authorities to further enhance penitentiary reform, prison health care and the protection of human rights of persons deprived of liberty. The Project is financed within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 and implemented by the Council of Europe.

Armenia 7 November 2023