In June, the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan brought instructors from the Colorado Department of Corrections’ International Corrections Management Training Center (ICMTC) to Armenia to share best practices on managing prisons. This is just the latest part of an on-going exchange of ideas between the authorities in Colorado and their peers in Armenia.
In November-December 2017, an Armenian delegation made up of staff from Abovyan Penitentiary, officials from the Penitentiary Service, and experts of the Center for Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programs traveled to Colorado’s ICMTC to participate in training on how best to manage female offenders in prison. The training, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), explored American standards for female correctional facilities and detailed best practices for working with female offenders.
Upon their return to Armenia, the delegation put their new skills to practice by implementing new training sessions in penitentiaries, including Abovyan penitentiary, where they now conduct anger management classes for the offenders.
The trip to Armenia by the U.S. experts allowed instructors from Colorado’s ICMTC to share their knowledge with a broader audience. They worked with Abovyan penitentiary officials to discuss how ICMTC course material and best practices can be incorporated into the management of the facility.
This project is part of a larger INL-funded assistance program, which supports Armenia’s efforts to modernize its law enforcement and counter transnational crime, penitentiary system and drug trafficking, with the intent to keep Americans safe at home by countering international crime and corruption abroad. Learn more here about how INL works to keep people safe by countering international crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad.
