Workshop for the staff of the Vanadzor JVA correctional facility

Details: Published: February 27, 2023

Participants of the workshop at Vanadzor JVA (correctional facility), at the speaker’s table (from left to right): senior civil servant Heiko Oberle, deputy governor of the Mannheim JVA; senior government director Thomas Müller, governor of the Karlsruhe JVA

Armenia

Armenia is restructuring the penitentiary system into a prison plan system. As part of these reforms, IRZ conducted a workshop for the employees of the Vanadzor correctional facility (JVA). The main topics were holistic concepts, individual prison planning and the introduction of efficient administrative structures.

The participants included the head of the Vanadzor JVA and the head of the Social and Psychological Work Department in the Penal System Department of the Republic of Armenia, Tzovinar Tadevosyan, along with 23 employees, including psychologists, social workers and employees of the operational security department.

The project was supported by IRZ expert Thomas Müller, Senior Government Director and Director of the Karlsruhe JVA and other colleagues, who has provided consultancy services in the penal system for several years. Heiko Oberle, Deputy Governor of Mannheim JVA therefore also took part in this workshop. Both experts conducted the interactive training directly on site.

On the first working day, both German experts visited the Vanadzor facility to design the workshop around the circumstances at the facility.

The following topics were then discussed on the first day of training:

Summary of the legal situation and restructuring of the quarantine station into a prison plan system (diagnosis with reference to the planned working group at the training centre, treatment measures, security measures and regime)
Introduction of treatment measures (presentation of the modular program)
Creation of work and leisure opportunities for prisoners
Management structures in prisons

Working groups were then created and the following work assignments were formulated:

How can the quarantine station be transformed into an access department, where an examination is carried out to determine the problems that require treatment, and how can individual rehabilitation measures be defined in a conference? What personnel and material equipment would be required for this?
If you look at the prisoners in your institution, what are the problems that need to be treated and what approaches could be adopted to treat the problems?
What work and leisure opportunities could be created in your institution? What personnel and material requirements would be required to do this? For which products would a sales outlet exist? Are the appropriate rooms/premises available?
What opportunities do you see in terms of structural changes in the institution to improve motivation and recognition for staff? What would be required to achieve this?

One representative from each working group presented the results, which were then discussed intensively with the participants and the German experts.

Work assignments to create practical concepts were formulated at the end of the workshop based on the results of the working groups, which the participants should compile for the next session, which is likely to be held in spring 2023.