Support the scaling-up of the probation service in Armenia

The “Support the Scaling-Up of the Probation Service in Armenia” 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 main partners, namely the Ministry of Justice of Armenia and the State Probation Service.

This 32-months project is a project which aims at assisting the national authorities to fully endorse the concept of probation in practice through providing the necessary legislative, institutional and operational framework that will facilitate the use of probation services in the country, thus enhancing community safety and the fair administration of justice. Changes are envisaged at both the level of perception as well as operating/legislative framework, to ensure compliance with Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the Council of Europe Probation Rules.

To this end, and in line with the principles arising from the Council of Europe’s Recommendation (2010)1 on Probation Rules, support has been provided at the following levels:

to build a longterm plan ensuring the commitment of Armenian authorities in sustainable manner;
to increase the scope and areas of work covered by the State Probation Service with the revision and or development of relevant legislation;
to enhance the skills and knowledge of probation officers;
to introduce new working tools and working methodologies;
to secure the cooperation with the judiciary, community and civil society, as well as increase the awareness of wider public.

Namely, in line with the European Probation Rules, it was expected that once fully operational, the Armenian Probation Service will:

contribute to a fair criminal justice process as well as to public safety by preventing and reducing the occurrence of offences;
support the criminal proceedings through advisory reports and mediation;
implement non-custodial sanctions measures in line with the applicable legislation;
facilitate the re-integration of offenders.

The amount devoted to this project is EUR 871,995.

Its implementation started in October 2019 and ended in December 2022.

Project documentation

Useful information

PROJECT NEWS

Back First monitoring visit on piloting of the revised RNA tool on probation in Armenia

The first monitoring visit to assess the progress at regional level of the risk and needs assessment (RNA) tool was made to the Tavush regional unit of the Probation Service on 8 September 2021. The aim of the visit was to assess the progress in implementing of the revised RNA tool. It was conducted in the format of on-the-job training and helped the probation staff to better understand the revised RNA tool, to raise and discuss questions on the issues/criteria they have encountered with when applying the tool in practice. In the course of the visit, the probation staff of the regional union received additional information on the methodology, timing and technical modalities relevant for the piloting stage of the RNA tool.

A proper use of the RNA tool should assist the probation officers to assess risk and needs of the individual probation beneficiaries, to evaluate the probability of reoffending, to plan supervision, as well as to assist with effective rehabilitation.

The piloting of the tool has started in July 2021 based on the Order of the Minister of Justice and should last until November 2021. Periodical monitoring will allow fine tuning of the tool and its better application in practice once the piloting phase was over.

The first monitoring visit was organised within the framework of the project “Support the scaling-up of the probation service in Armenia” implemented by the Council of Europe and financed by the Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022.

Armenia 17 September 2021