A hospital will be established in Armenia for prisoners in need of long-term medical care

In Armenia, a special medical facility will be created for detainees who need long-term or permanent medical assistance, which will be managed by the SNOC. Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic Levon Balyan said about this in the National Assembly on July 10, during the discussion of the bill on amendments and additions to the Criminal Code, at the extraordinary session of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs. In particular, an authorization norm will be introduced in the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia, which will allow the order of the Minister of Justice to regulate in more detail the procedure for assessing the risks and needs of convicts. According to the speaker, in the field of criminal justice and penitentiary system reform, the effective assessment of the risks and needs of prisoners is key, which is the basis for the development and implementation of an individual resocialization program. "The Criminal Code stipulates that the work of resocialization and formation of positive behavior begins from the first day of the execution of the sentence. The content of these works derives from the convict's personal and behavioral changes and is based on the results of his risk and needs assessment," Balyan emphasized. According to him, it is planned to transfer the convicts who need long-term medical care, as well as service and care in hospital conditions, to the aforementioned medical institution. In the medical facility, the convict will be kept under special conditions ensuring increased supervision. The deputy minister noted that the specifics of the conditions for keeping the convict in a medical facility will be defined by the internal regulations of the penitentiary. According to the proposed changes, the convict will be kept in the isolation cell provided for him. "Convicts whose health condition cannot be maintained in medical facilities of penal institutions will be accommodated in medical facilities," Balyan explained. The penitentiary service will ensure the order and conditions of execution of sentences in the medical penitentiary, and the state non-profit organization "Criminal Medicine Center of the Ministry of Health" will provide medical assistance and service to the convicts. After a rather long discussion, the legislative initiative received a positive opinion from the permanent parliamentary committee.