Scotland has introduced a smoking ban in prisons as part of an effort to help inmates quit.
It is estimated around 72% of Scottish prisoners smoke regularly although sales of tobacco have dropped in last week’s preparation for the ban on Friday. Vaping will still be allowed, and the Scottish Prison service has offered e-cigarette kits free of charge to prisoners who would like them.
The Scottish Prison Service chief said the man will bring improvements. The date of the ban was announced following a major report in prison workers’ exposure to second-hand smoking in July 2017. The study showed levels of second-hand smoke in some cells were similar to the levels found in bars before Scotland’s 2006 smoking ban.
Prisoners were also allowed to smoke in their cells and some outside areas, but staff were not allowed to smoke.
Scotland’s prisons are to be smoke-free by the end of 2018. A similar ban has been introduced in many other prisons around England. SPS chief executive Colin McConnell understands it will be “difficult” for prisoners to give up smoking.
He added: “The percentage of people who smoke in prisons is much higher than the community at large.
“I fully understand how difficult it has been, and will continue to be, for many in our care to give up smoking and that is why we are committed to working alongside our partners in the NHS to provide every support possible to assist them.
“Having a smoke free prisons estate in Scotland will bring significant improvements to health, quality of life, and sense of wellbeing and assist in the reduction of health inequalities for all those in our care.”
Public health minister Joe Fitzpatrick said: ” Smoking kills around one in five people in Scotland, and four times as many people smoke in prisons as across Scotland as a whole.
“Providing a smoke-free environment in prisons will help create a Scotland where we reduce the use of and harm from tobacco and help achieve our aim of a tobacco-free generation.”
However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest, said smoking was one of the few pleasures many prisoners had.
He added: “At the very least inmates should be allowed to light up outside, in an exercise yard or designated smoking area.”
