It has been interesting reading the various responses to the government’s plan to ban smoking in prisons. Most have been quite predictable. The libertarians have scoffed at the idea of a ban. The left-wing blogs have droned on about human rights. Most of the right-wing blogs take the tone that prisoners forfeit their rights upon conviction. The Herald ran an editorial yesterday suggesting that designated smoking areas would be a reasonable compromise. I would be most surprised if prisoners adhered to these areas and I would envisage such a restriction as largely pointless. In another Herald article (and in a post by Bomber at Tumeke), it is suggested that such a ban may cause prison riots on the very flimsy basis that a prison riot in Queensland was partly attributed to a smoking ban. I find this extraordinarily hard to believe.
My personal favorite in the long list of objections to the ban is the argument that the relapse rate is supposedly 97% (this is taken from a US study where the level of smoking cessation treatment is poor). There are two reasons why this is a daft observation. Firstly, the relapse rate in the community is as high as 90% in some studies, so 97% is not as bad as it seems. Secondly, it should be obvious that the “relapse” rate without the ban would be close to 100%. Having three out of every 100 smokers quit is much better than nothing.
Most government buildings have been completely smoke-free for years
”All of this loses sight of the simple fact that most government buildings have been completely smoke-free for years. Is there any particular reason why this should not be true of prisons? You may not come into my home and smoke and the government should feel just as entitled to ban smoking from premises that it controls. You can’t smoke in the public library, why should you be able to smoke in a cell?
Least it be argued that prisoners are not at liberty to leave the building and smoke in the street, it should be pointed out that the same thing, in essence, applies to patients in hospital. You are not allowed to smoke in hospitals and haven’t been able to for several years. It is not easy to exit the hospital complex if you are ill. Hospitals may not be as restrictive as prisons, but the smoking ban is quite rigidly enforced. Patients are offered nicotine patches should they require them. Any prisoner being transferred to a hospital would be forced to stop smoking immediately. If prisoners do indeed get out of control when we prevent them from smoking, then we probably should not admit them to hospital.
The poor, wee fragile things might go mad…
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Jul 1 10 12:45 am
I’m of mixed opinion on the smoking ban for prisoners.
However, one thing I think is most amusing is that the arguments for applying the ban are exactly the same arguments the left have been using on and against the general public over the years, and it makes the application of these arguments somewhat hilarious when applied to prisoners. It’s very ironic and somewhat delicious.
On the other hand, cold turkey seems rather harsh and possibly unnecessary (an outdoor smoke rule, limited to twice a day, weather not the prison’s problem, lighters on location etc), even if only for the first 3 months (so get using those patches and preparing yourself…)
But I’m not overly fussed unless it causes a health issue via the forced shock (because not every inmate is there for being a violent thug, there are many other forms of offending)
ZenTiger´s last [type] ..The Censored National Standards Report
Jul 2 10 12:32 am
Firstly, nicotine withdrawal symptoms are fairly mild and are in no ways comparable to the “cold turkey” of heroin withdrawal. Secondly, there are a number of treatments to modify the withdrawal symptoms, including patches, gum, and tablets.
Jul 1 10 10:50 am
I have been trying to find out if the smoking ban applies to those on remand that have not been found guilty of anything. Would anyone know?
Jul 2 10 12:34 am
I would imagine it would include them, seeing as the remand prison is also a government building.
Jul 1 10 2:54 pm
I prefer the decidedly right-wing point made in a recent NZH article on the subject,
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10655164&pnum=0
“Former prison superintendent Celia Lashlie said the ban would create havoc, but Whangarei Mayor Stan Semenoff, who has been pushing for the move, said crime rates could drop.
A smoking ban at a prison on Britain’s Isle of Man had become a deterrent for reforming criminals who couldn’t face prison terms without tobacco, Mr Semenoff said. The drop in crime has been reported by British media, including the Daily Telegraph, which said the crime rate on the island had fallen by 14 per cent and burglary by 35 per cent.
“It’s like they are more scared about giving up smoking than a criminal record and time in the nick,” a police source told the newspaper”.
Jul 1 10 11:08 pm
Comparing hospital patients with prisoners – really doesn’t work.The reality is that this ban is going to be very difficult to enforce.History tells us that cigarettes are CURRENCY.People steal and kill for CURRENCY.
Jul 2 10 12:37 am
Cigarettes are already currency in prisons. All a ban will do is make that currency more valuable. There is no evidence that such a ban make prisoners more violent towards each other.
Jul 10 10 4:32 pm
Why I agree is if you are a smoker it is a deterrent to go to jail, which most criminals seem to be smokers.
Jul 23 10 12:49 pm
If the prisoners are allowed to have cigarettes, they also need matches or lighters, and some of them have been using those to start fires in their cells and burn items in their cells which are, after all, government property. This is to me one of the most powerful arguments against allowing prisoners to smoke. Why give inmates items with which to vandalize the prison?