OSCE Office presents report on alternative sentencing in Armenia

YEREVAN, 16 March 2005 - A research study exploring prospects for non-custodial measures of punishment in Armenia was presented today to the public.

The main outcome of the research is that key actors involved in the criminal justice reform process will get reliable guidance to help them identify priority areas to develop efficient alternatives to imprisonment. The Criminal and the newly-adopted Criminal-Executive Codes create the necessary legal basis for the implementation of penal sanctions, including alternative sentences.

The report was prepared by the non-governmental organization Advanced Social Technologies, with support from the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation and the British Embassy in Armenia.

"All OSCE participating States face challenges in implementing criminal justice policy which includes alternative sentencing options," said Stefan Buchmayer, Human Rights Officer at the OSCE Office, opening the event.

"A comprehensive legal framework and an institutional infrastructure for the implementation of alternative sentences facilitate making decisions for a state and its society in choosing a criminal justice policy."

The scope of the research included development of the research tools, data analysis, and an elaboration of recommendations for action. A survey was also conducted among target groups such as judges, prosecutors, advocates, police and Criminal Executive Department of the Justice Ministry, as well as private entrepreneurs, offenders and their families, and the public at large.

Anna Minasyan, Head of the Advanced Social Technologies and the co-author of the study, said that the majority of stakeholders in the process had a positive attitude towards alternative sentencing options.

"They believe that an enlarged practice of alternative sanctions corresponds to modern trends in international criminal law and contributes to important processes, such as proper rehabilitation of the offenders and building public trust towards the criminal justice system."