Convicts in need of long-term inpatient medical aid to be transferred to medical penitentiary institution — Draft submitted to National Assembly

Deputy Minister of Justice Levon Balyan presented the proposed amendments to the Penitentiary Code during an extraordinary session of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly. The Draft proposes to establish an authorising norm, which allows regulating, in more detail, the procedure for assessing the risks and needs of convicts under the order of the Minister of Justice. Levon Balyan noted that in the sector of criminal justice and penitentiary system reforms, effective assessment of the risks and needs of persons deprived of liberty is of key importance, and it serves as the basis for development and implementation of a personal re-socialisation programme. Based on the next regulation, it is envisaged to transfer convicts in need of long-term inpatient medical aid, service and care to a medical penitentiary institution.

In a medical penitentiary institution, the convict will be kept in conditions provided for strict measures of the medium security zone.

The Deputy Minister of Justice mentioned that the specifics of the conditions for keeping a convict in a medical penitentiary institution will be established under the internal regulations of penitentiary institutions.

According to Levon Balyan, the medical penitentiary institution will host the convicts who cannot receive medical aid in the medical units of penitentiary institutions due to their state of health. The Penitentiary Service will ensure the procedure and conditions for execution of sentences at the medical penitentiary institution, and the medical aid and services for the convicts will be provided by the "Penitentiary Medicine Centre of the Ministry of Health” SNCO.