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 Second Working Group online session on amending the probation legislation in Armenia

The second Working Group (WG) session, on amending the probation legislation was held online on 13th July 2020.

As a result, recommendations on the amendments to probation legislation were finalised and submitted to the Ministry of Justice for a first feedback. In parallel, a CoE international consultant will provide an opinion on the draft legislative package in order to align it with European standards.

The recommendations include inter alia innovative proposals for strengthening the status and role of the Probation service in Armenia, implementation of non-custodial sanctions, work with vulnerable groups of probation beneficiaries, in particular children and victims of domestic violence, clarification of some financial aspects related to electronic monitoring, development and implementation of resocialisation programs, etc. The draft package was also streamlined with the draft Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code (currently pending at the National Assembly).

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Penitentiary Service, RA Chamber of Advocates, RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Department of Research and Development of RA Representative Office of ECtHR of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, as well as civil society organisations. This activity was organised under the framework of the Council of Europe (CoE) project “Support the scaling-up of the probation service in Armenia” CoE Project (financed by the CoE Action Plan for Armenia 2019 – 2022) that aimed at assisting the national authorities to fully endorse the concept of probation in practice in Armenia.

Armenia 13 July 2020