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Empowering penitentiary personnel: Armenian penitentiary staff trained in suicide prevention

In an effort to address the issue of self-harm and suicide within prison facilities, approximately 170 penitentiary staff members underwent skill-based trainings on suicide intervention plans. The four two-day and two one-day trainings, which took place in January, February and March 2024, were tailored for prison leadership and multidisciplinary teams that included psychologists and security staff from all Armenian penitentiary institutions.

The aim of this initiative was to equip these professionals with essential knowledge, skills, and competences for managing cases of suicidal behaviour effectively. This proactive sessions aimed at strengthening the mental health support systems within Armenian prisons, thereby safeguarding the well-being of persons deprived of liberty. The trainees actively participated in dynamic learning sessions, exploring strategies suited to the distinct challenges characteristic of prison environment. These sessions offered both the theoretical foundation of suicide intervention and the opportunity to practice newly acquired knowledge in simulated scenarios.

The design and implementation of the training sessions adhered closely to the comprehensive "Guide on specific interventions for suicide prevention in Armenian prisons" developed earlier by Council of Europe national and international consultants.

This initiative marks a noteworthy progress in the Armenian penitentiary system, indicating a transition towards prioritising mental health and suicide prevention within prisons.

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” and is financed within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 and implemented by the Council of Europe.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA 12 MARCH 2024
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The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation, with 46 member states, including Armenia. All our member states are party to the European Convention on Human Rights, which is the cornerstone of human rights protection in Europe.

The Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, represents the Secretary General in Armenia. It closely co-operates with national authorities supporting the implementation of statutory obligations to the Council of Europe by Armenia through co-operation projects.


 

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The Council of Europe works for you. We want to give visibility to the role, standards and work of the Council of Europe in its member states, to show how Council of Europe membership has helped achieve particular results or changes. Our aim, through a variety of events and actions, is to highlight ways in which the Council of Europe’s action has helped improve the life of individuals and contributed to improving people’s enjoyment of fundamental rights.

 

Whether it is the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights at national level, or the Council of Europe's work in many fields, such as working to abolish the death penalty or to ensure freedom of expression and freedom of the media, or to adress online and technology-facilitated violence against women through the Istanbul Convention and Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, the Council of Europe has achieved a lot since 1949. View achievements »