CPT _2010_ 82 - EN - Report Armenia 2010 _2_ - The Government ...

- 49 -f. suicide prevention117. Suicides or suicide attempts appeared to be very rare events in the establishments visited.However, the CPT is concerned by certain extreme measures that may be taken when a prisoner isconsidered to be a particularly high suicide risk. At Nubarashen Prison, a life-sentenced prisoneridentified as suicidal had been kept in his cell, hand- and ankle-cuffed to his bed for more than onemonth between December 2009 and January 2010. At no point was he sent to a hospital facility.The cuffs were removed by staff for him to go to the in-cell toilet or during mealtimes. Accordingto the prisoner concerned, the measure was ended after he managed to remove the cuffs himself.In the CPT’s opinion, to immobilise a prisoner for such a long period could be considered asamounting to inhuman and degrading treatment. Further, the immobilisation of an inmate who ismentally distressed cannot be considered by itself to constitute a properly effective suicideprevention measure. Suicide prevention is a matter falling within the purview of prison health-careservices. They should ensure that there is an adequate awareness of this subject throughout theestablishment, and that appropriate procedures are in place. A prisoner showing severe signs ofsuicidal behaviour should be placed under the direct supervision of a psychiatrist, preferably in asuitably equipped medical facility. An individualised care programme, involving a multidisciplinaryteam (including staff providing professional psychological support), should be drawnup, monitored and reviewed. In addition, the person concerned should always be held in safeconditions, with no easy access to means of killing himself (cell window bars, broken glass, belts orties, etc.). The CPT recommends that the Armenian authorities discontinue their currentpractice in respect of inmates considered to be particularly high suicide risk and introduceappropriate suicide prevention procedures in prison, in the light of these remarks.g. hunger strikes118. The CPT has misgivings about the treatment of prisoners on hunger strike. During the 2010visit, the delegation observed that such prisoners were generally given a special uniform andsegregated in a special cell, within or next to the disciplinary unit, which was equipped in the sameway as disciplinary cells. The Committee wishes to stress that hunger strikes should be approachedfrom a therapeutic rather than a punitive standpoint. In this context, the inmates concerned shouldbe accommodated in suitable facilities where their state of health can be placed under appropriatemedical supervision. Further, they should not be held in conditions inferior to those of otherprisoners. The CPT recommends that the Armenian authorities review their policy for themanagement of prisoners on hunger strike, in the light of the preceding remarks.