OSCE Office assists in prison reform in Armenia

YEREVAN, 24 May 2004 - Computers and specially developed software, handed over today to the Criminal Executive Department of the Ministry of Justice by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, will help social rehabilitation programmes in Armenian prisons.

The equipment will be installed in the Kosh prison and the Nubarashen pretrial detention centre for use by the recently introduced social rehabilitation service.

The software was developed with the support of the Office in Yerevan and the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Improved co-ordination and information sharing between the Criminal Executive Department and the institutions will result in a more consistent approach to social rehabilitation and towards international best standards.

"One should not underestimate the role of social rehabilitation services in prisons," said Blanka Hancilova, Democratization Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan. "Steady improvements in social rehabilitation for inmates are already obvious in many cases. We stand ready to further assist the Armenian Government in this process."

To help introduce social rehabilitation services into the country's prison system, the OSCE Office in Yerevan together with ODIHR organized in January-February 2004 a two-week study tour for Armenian prison staff to Croatia.

Armenia has been engaged in the reform of the penitentiary system since 2001, when the system was transferred from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice.

The OSCE Office, together with ODIHR, supports the reform of the criminal executive service and will continue to assist the government in upgrading the operational functioning of the prison system, establishing a comprehensive training program for prison staff and expanding its efforts beyond the scope to prison reform to promote the development of alternative sentencing in Armenia.