Government  proposes new regulations for  penitentiary service system

ArmInfo.  The government of Armenia has proposed new regulations for the penitentiary service system. The corresponding amendments to the law "On Penitentiary Service" were approved at a sesion of the RA NA Committee on State and Legal Affairs.

Presenting the amendments, the RA Deputy Minister of Justice, Gevorg  Kocharyan, noted that the adoption of the bill is driven by the need  to resolve several issues that have arisen during the application of  current legal norms. It also aims to clarify regulatory gaps that are   incomplete and lead to misinterpretation.

Specifically, the bill proposes to expand recruitment opportunities  for the service by eliminating the current age limit of 30 years.  This adjustment will help attract experienced and qualified  specialists to the system, while optimizing the order and structure  of the penitentiary service.

The reform also plans to merge two separate departments that perform  distinct functions but pursue the same objective: the escorting and  security units of the service's central body will be consolidated  into a single department. Furthermore, the scope of authority will be  refined by revoking the service's right to grant parole and to  supervise cases of conditional sentencing, given that these functions  are now executed by the Probation Service. Flexible promotion  mechanisms are also planned for introduction.

A penitentiary service employee who receives a positive evaluation  following an official attestation process will be eligible for  promotion to a higher position without undergoing a competitive  selection process. The planned changes will clarify and simplify the  conditions for appointments to basic and leadership positions.

Additionally, penitentiary employees will have the opportunity—on  their own initiative and without a competition—to transfer to a lower  position or a different service location. This ensures they can serve  in an institution closer to their place of residence, or in another  unit of the same institution if an equivalent position is  unavailable.

The powers of the Minister of Justice regarding decision-making and  review processes will also be clarified. Finally, the adopted  amendments expand the grounds for dismissing an employee, introducing  a provision for termination if an employee refuses an available  vacant position. If there are no vacancies, the employee is dismissed  from their current position and placed in the personnel reserve.