Networked Knowledge - Media Report

[This edited version of the report has been prepared by Dr Robert N Moles]

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Message from Justice Action NSW Australia

Justice Action NSW

Recently there have been discussions about the Health Department bringing in a policy banning NSW prisoners from smoking.  That decision would have an enormous effect on prisoners’ comfort most of whom smoke. It is one of the few social pleasures and releases from boredom and tension. For many decades tobacco has been issued free as an “indulgence” and the right to smoke has been a personal decision since the beginning of the penal colony. When the Health Department shows its concern for prisoners’ health by supporting access to clean needles and syringes, instead of remaining silent despite 50% of prisoners being infected with Hepatitis C, then it earns the credit to consult with the prison community on the smoking issue.

On 15 August 2007 Jonathan Montpetit of 680News reported “Prisoners in Quebec jails to pay for nicotine patches under smoking ban”

Montreal (CP) - Prisoners will have to go cold turkey or pay for nicotine patches when Quebec's jails become smoke-free environments next year. Even guards won't be able to smoke within the walls. The decision has sparked fears about increased tensions between inmates and those tabbed with enforcing the new rule. The Quebec government has announced that cigarettes will be banned from jails beginning next February. Under the new rules, both prisoners and prison guards won't be allowed to smoke anywhere on provincial jail grounds, even outside.

"It's for the health of both the personnel and those incarcerated," said Real Roussy, a spokesman for Quebec's Public Security Department. But a prisoner rights group says the new guidelines go too far. "Everywhere in Quebec people can smoke outside and we ask why they refuse inmates from smoking outside in the courtyard," said Jean-Claude Bernheim, president of Quebec's Prisoners' Rights Committee. "If everyone stops smoking, the relationship between guards and prisoners will not be so good," he said Wednesday.

Bernheim estimates that close to 80 per cent of inmates in Quebec prisons smoke. He added that given the lack of recreational and educational programs in many provincial jails, smoking is a coveted break from the monotony. "Voluntarily quitting is already hard enough, so when it is imposed it will certainly be hard to manage," he said.

Smoking has been banned in federal prisons since 2005. Quebec is believed to be the last province in Canada where provincial inmates still enjoy the right to smoke. The Quebec government says it looked to the example set by other provinces before making its decision. "In the studies we did we looked at what happened elsewhere, and in other regions it didn't seem as if smoking bans in detention centres created major added tensions," Roussy said.

In an attempt to avoid any trouble, inmates will have access to nicotine patches to ease their cravings. "There will be support for people who want to quit smoking, but the substitute products will be available at the prisoner's expense," Roussy said. Bernheim, however, is skeptical the patches will do much to alleviate the concerns of prisoners. He said most provincial jails simply don't have the resources to help a large number of inmates quit. "A lot of inmates don't have money, so how are they going to pay for (the patches)," he said. "Certain people will need psychological support. These kinds of measure must be done under medical supervision."

Health Minister Philippe Couillard said Wednesday there won't be any special funding to help prisoners quit. "There's no reason why they should be treated differently," he said. "We spend roughly $30 million a year in Quebec to curb the use of tobacco and it applies to all citizens of Quebec." Calls to Quebec's prison guard union were not returned on Wednesday.

Inmate smoking has long been an issue for prison guards in federal prisons, who argue they have the right to work in a smoke-free environment. The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers recently sought leave to sue the Correctional Service of Canada over claims wardens are not imposing the smoking ban in federal prisons.

Source: 15 August 2007 Jonathan Montpetit 680News “Prisoners in Quebec jails to pay for nicotine patches under smoking ban”

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