Prisons come at a high cost: Armenia spends $36m a year on inmate maintenance
Cost of prisoners in Armenia
More than 13.5bn drams ($36m) are allocated each year from Armenia’s state budget to the penitentiary system. The funds are used to cover food, clothing, and other basic needs for those held in correctional facilities.
At present, Armenia’s prisons hold 1,392 detainees and 1,462 convicted prisoners. According to human rights advocates, the number is not decreasing but continues to grow, as courts most often rely on imprisonment as a preventive measure against defendants.
Experts say that reducing state spending on prisons will first require a review of judicial practice, particularly the frequent use of imprisonment for a wide range of offences.
“Imprisonment should be based on the principle of protecting the state’s interests. But what exactly is the state interest here? Is it really in keeping a person in prison at the taxpayer’s expense?” asked lawyer Araik Papikyan.
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The state spends just over $35 a day on each prisoner
The Ministry of Justice has provided detailed information on the distribution of only part of the total amount — 2,150 drams ($5.73). The breakdown is as follows:
- 1,341 drams ($3.57) — food,
- 134 drams ($0.35) — clothing (provided only to convicted prisoners),
- 53 drams ($0.15) — bedding,
- 101 drams ($0.26) — hygiene products and other everyday necessities,
- 531 drams ($1.40) — utility expenses.
According to the ministry, the remaining portion — daily expenses amounting to 13,170 drams ($35.12) — includes:
- staff salaries,
- the cost of uniforms issued to personnel,
- utility services,
- construction and repair expenses,
- transport provision.
Complaints from prisoners
“We receive many reports and complaints about the quality of medical care. People say, for example, that they are not properly provided with bedding, or that the quality of food has deteriorated,” said human rights defender Zarui Hovhannisyan.
She is part of a monitoring group overseeing conditions in correctional facilities. Hovhannisyan stressed that more state funds are allocated to prisoner maintenance than the 13,170 drams officially cited. She explained that this figure does not include certain expenses, such as medical care.
“When a person is under house arrest, they deal with their own health issues, and this does not become an additional burden on the state. But when someone is in prison — whether a detainee or a convicted prisoner — the state is obliged to cover all costs related to their maintenance,” she said.
Food quality and food law expert Davit Pipoyan said that spending about 1,350 drams on meals places an “emphasis on carbohydrate-rich” and more affordable products.
“As for micronutrients, ensuring their full provision would require increasing the amount to between 1,450 and 1,500 drams ($3.86–4),” he added.
Lawyer’s view on state spending
Lawyer Araik Papikyan compared the state’s spending on prisoners with the expenses of supporting his own family. He concluded that the government spends more on a single inmate than he does on his family of four.
“I believe that if these sums were spent on the social development of prisoners’ families — their education and employment — believe me, they would not have become prisoners,” he said.
Cost of prisoners in Armenia
