A group of 22 Armenian judges and probation officers enhanced their knowledge on probation matters in a training session held on 25-26 June 2022 in Tsaghkadzor.

The main topics that have been addressed during the first day of the training were related to the execution of the non-custodial sanctions, including electronic monitoring. The importance of use of rehabilitation programmes was also touched upon. The latest legislative developments such as newly introduced Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, as well as new Penitentiary Code and Law on Probation, were also introduced to the participants.

The second day enabled the judges and probation officers to share information about their practices and discuss challenges and joint approaches. A brief overview of the latest developments in the field of probation and the respective statistical data was made by the head of Probation Service which demonstrated inter alia the importance of the use of resocialisation programmes that are implemented at the moment. She encouraged the judges to apply them in their decisions. Participants also discussed questions related to introduction of electronic monitoring and challenges that it may create in practice.

The training was delivered by Council of Europe national consultants based on a training course developed by them earlier in the framework of the project.

The training session was organized under the Project “Support the scaling-up of the probation service in Armenia” implemented by the Council of Europe and financed through the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022.