Back Rebuilding lives: Armenia’s Probation Service launches landmark rehabilitation programme

Rebuilding lives: Armenia’s Probation Service launches landmark rehabilitation programme

For people leaving Armenia's prisons, and probation system, breaking a cycle of substance use has long meant relying on willpower alone. A new rehabilitation programme, piloted over the past year in three prisons and probation offices, is designed to change that.

Developed with support from the Council of Europe, the programme trains probation officers, prison psychologists and legal specialists to pioneer structured, evidence-based rehabilitation interventions based on Cognitive-behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing. These methods are aimed at addressing the root causes of substance use rather than simply punishing its symptoms.

Since the pilot began in April 2025, participants have worked through the programme’s tools under continuous expert supervision. With the evaluation now complete, the team is refining the approach ahead of a nationwide roll-out.

The aim is straightforward: give frontline staff better tools to address the causes of substance use, so that more people leaving prison or under probation supervision get a genuine chance to rebuild their lives, rather than cycling back through the system.

The programme is now expanding across Armenia, co-ordinated by staff trained specifically for the task - one of the concrete ways the country's justice system is shifting from punitive to rehabilitative approaches, an initiative which marks a vital step toward safer communities and second chances.

This initiative is carried out under the Project “Further Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia”, funded through the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023–2026. By expanding evidence-based offender rehabilitation, the Council of Europe supports Armenia’s strategic efforts to reduce reoffending, enhance non-custodial alternatives, and ensure safer communities.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA 24 JULY 2026
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What is the goal and objective of the project?

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 envisaged changes will support the Armenian authorities to align the legislation and practice with Council of Europe standards, such us, inter alia Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)1 on the Council of Europe Probation Rules and Recommendation CM/Rec(2017)3 on the European Rules on community sanctions and measures.

 Start date: 1 January 2025

 Duration: 24 months

 Funding: EUR 500,000,  Donors contributing to the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023–2026 

Contact person: Mr Arman Poghosyan, Senior Project Officer

 

Who benefits from the project?
  • Ministry of Justice
  • State Probation Service staff
  • Penitentiary Service staff
  • Centre for the Implementation of Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programmes SNCO staff
  • judges and other legal professionals
  • general public
How does the project work?

The Project will follow the main Council of Europe principles throughout its intervention.

Namely, the Probation Service shall aim to reduce reoffending by establishing positive relationships with probationers in order to supervise, guide and assist them and to promote their successful social inclusion. All interventions will be in line with Council of Europe human rights standards and shall have due regard to the dignity, health, safety and well-being of probationers, and it must take full account of the individual characteristics, circumstances and needs of each specific offender in order to ensure that each case is dealt with justly and fairly. Probation service shall work in partnership with other public or private organisations, civil society organisations and local communities to promote the social inclusion of probationers. Co-ordinated and complementary inter-agency and inter-disciplinary work is necessary to undertake to meet often complex needs of probationers and to enhance community safety.

What do we expect to achieve?
  • 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.
Reference documents