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.