Strategies for successful transition from penitentiary institutions to probation and cooperation in the efforts for reintegration of convicts — Levon Balyan participates in CoE workshop
06/05/2024

Deputy Minister of Justice Levon Balayan participated in a workshop organised within the scope of the Projects "Support the scaling-up of the probation service in Armenia” and "Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention," being implemented by the Council of Europe for expanding the co-operation between the Penitentiary and Probation Services of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. The Deputy Minister greeted the participants and expressed gratitude to the Council of Europe for its support in the reforms of the penitentiary and probation sectors in the Republic of Armenia. Levon Balyan mentioned that expanding and promoting co-operation between the Penitentiary Service and the Probation Service will help the Services to carry out their activities more effectively, particularly for the development and implementation of new approaches to the process of re-socialisation process and identification of potential gaps and challenges. The main paths for co-operation between the Penitentiary and Probation Services, the importance of co-operation in the reintegration of convicts, the strategies for successful transition from penitentiary institution to probation, as well as the role of other stakeholders, were considered. The discussions were followed by a question-and-answer session, after which the participants engaged in group work, presenting the potential paths for promotion of co-operation of the Penitentiary Service, the Probation Service and the State Non-Commercial Organisation in the development and implementation of re-socialisation programmes. Representatives of the Probation Service, the Penitentiary Service and the "Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programmes Implementation Centre" SNCO also participated in the workshop.