Penitentiary Department Head reports on 2017 activities and actions planned for 2018

During today’s working meeting with the President of the Republic of Armenia, Head of Penitentiary Department of the Ministry of Justice Rafael Hovhannisyan reported on the activities carried out in 2017 in the field of penitentiary service with a focus on the steps aimed at addressing the need for legislative amendments, inmates’ employment, improved primary healthcare quality in prisons, energy saving programs and reducing corruption risks through complex inspections and relevant surveys carried out in all penitentiaries.

The Head of Penitentiary Department reported that a supplement to the relevant government decree stipulates the conditions for detention of those detainees and prisoners having refused to accept food (on hunger-strike). Another amendment identifies the provision of food diversity for detainees, the maintenance of necessary calories, as well as the norms of inmates’ physiological requirements for nutrients and energy.

The President was next briefed on the results of the EU-funded and CoE-implemented “Health and Human Rights Protection in Armenia’s Prisons” project, under which 11 penitentiary institutions were provided with 90 units of medical equipment and supplies necessary for the provision of primary healthcare services. 800 medical and non-medical employees in penitentiary institutions were trained in the framework of the Medical Ethics and Human Rights Program.

The Head of Penitentiary Department touched upon those draft legal acts that had been developed on the basis of the concept of “Modernization of Medical Services in the Penitentiary Institutions,” meant to streamline the procurement of State-ordered medicines and medical supplies for penitentiary institutions. The concept envisages the establishment of the Penitentiary Medicine Center SNCO and other activities.

Reference was made to the government decree due to come into effect on November 1, 2018, which provides for the possibility of making video calls for detained foreign citizens or convicts whose close relatives cannot visit them, as well as for those detainees or convicts whose relatives cannot benefit from short visits.

Under the energy efficiency program being implemented at the Ministry of Justice-administered penitentiary institutions, all penitentiary institutions were provided with the required living conditions, heating and hot water supply. In addition, all the walls and floors were provided with heat insulation systems, gas pipelines and boiler rooms, internal and external heat networks were built or refurbished, the external lighting devices were replaced with energy efficient LED illuminators; solar energy and hot water supply systems were installed, etc.

In conclusion, Rafael Hovhannisyan introduced the measures envisaged in 2018, including the launch of a clothing facility at the Abovyan penitentiary, the planned improvements at the Nubarashen penitentiary, the optimization of penitentiary institutions and the development of a modernization program, the implementation of a pilot project for outsourcing food supply services, the furtherance of interstate cooperation and the training of penitentiary service staff.

After looking at the existing problems, the President of Armenia formulated a number of instructions pertaining to the continuity of reform, further improvement of medical services, food supply and security of prisoners and detainees, as well as the efforts aimed at curbing corruption risks in the penitentiary system.