As of March 2020, there were 2,250 people in prison in Armenia, of which 139 (6.2%) were being held for drug law offences, with penalties for possession of large amounts of drugs being up to seven (7) years imprisonment [1]. HIV prevalence among prisoners was estimated at 0.3% in 2015 [2] with antiretroviral therapy (ART) reported in 2019 as being available [3]. Opioid substitution therapy (OST) was available in 2020, as were needle/syringe programmes (NSP) [4].
On average, €6,862 was spent per inmate, per year, in 2019, or €18.80 per prisoner each day [5].
There were estimated to be 9,000 people who inject drugs in 2017 with a HIV prevalence of 1.9% [6]. NSP costs in 2018 were estimated at €35 per client, per year and OST services at €265 per client, per year [7]. €641.40 is paid as unemployment benefit for each eligible person, per year, or €53.45 per month [8].
Consequently, the cost of supporting a person who injects drugs in the community totals €941.40 per year, or €78.45 per month, whereas it costs €6,862 per year, or €572 per month, to support the same person in prison, a difference of €5,920 per person, per year. Therefore, the government of Armenia could save up to €823,000 per year by decriminalising drug use and possession.
[1] United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (UNOHCHR). The responses provided by the Government of the Republic of Armenia to the questionnaire of the Chair Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Geneva; UNOHCHR, undated. https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Detention/Call/Country/Armenia.pdf
[2] Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS). The Key Populations Atlas. Geneva; UNAIDS. https://kpatlas.unaids.org/dashboard
[3] Council of Europe. Report to the Armenian Government on the visit to Armenia carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 2 to 12 December 2019. Strasbourg; Council of Europe, 26 May 2021. https://rm.coe.int/1680a29ba1 (accessed 3 August 2021).
[4] Harm Reduction International (HRI). Global State of Harm Reduction 2020, Regional Overview 2.2 Eurasia. London; HRI, 2021. https://www.hri.global/files/2020/10/26/Global_State_HRI_2020_2_2_Eurasia_FA_WEB.pdf (accessed 3 August 2021).
[5] Aebi M F, Tiago MM. SPACE I – 2020 – Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics: Prison populations. Strasbourg; Council of Europe, 2021. https://wp.unil.ch/space/files/2021/04/210330_FinalReport_SPACE_I_2020.pdf (accessed 3 August 2021).
[6] National Centre for AIDS Prevention. Integrated Biological-Behavioral Surveillance Survey among People who Inject Drugs, Female Sex Workers, Men who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Persons. Yerevan; Ministry of Health, 2018. http://www.armaids.am/images/IBBS_ARMENIA_2018_eng_FINAL.pdf
[7] The costs of NSP and OST services were provided by national partners in 2018.
[8] 31,350 Armenian Drams converted to Euros, https://ru.armeniasputnik.am/economy/20190910/20347329/Uslovnoe-posobie-mozhet-opravdat-svoe-nazvanie—mnenie-eksperta.html