NCJ Number
166345
Journal
American Jails Volume: 9 Issue: 6 Dated: (January-February 1996) Pages: 46-50,52
Date Published
1996
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The decisions make the Washoe County (Nev.) Detention Facility (WCDF) a nonsmoking facility in February 1990 is examined in terms of its impacts on staff and inmates.
Abstract
WCDF is a direct supervision facility that allows smoke to move freely about the common areas. Before shifting to nonsmoking status, management made three crucial operational changes. It offered stop-smoking clinics for both inmates and staff, it reduced the number of brands stocked, and it made candy and raw vegetables in the days before and after the transition to ease the impact. The impacts of the new policy were assessed using data from official records and individual and group interviews of both administrative and supervisory staff. The research focused on how the policy affected staff sick time, inmate tensions and problem behavior, and the inmate token economy and commissary sales. Results revealed no savings in sick time or related health costs, although the staff interviews suggested positive subclinical changes. In addition, inmates became more likely to assault one another or staff, but these assaults primarily resulted in no injury or minor injury. Furthermore, inmates replaced their cigarette habits with candy habits. Among lessons learned from this experience are that the impact on inmate agitation and violence cannot be overlooked and that administrators should not expect significant or immediate positive impacts on staff health. 8 references and 2 case citations