NCJ Number
174553
Journal
Corrections Technology & Management Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: April 1998 Pages: 22-24
Date Published
1998
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Slowly but surely prison systems throughout the Nation are joining the trend to ban smoking inside institutions.
Abstract
The latest system to go smoke-free is in North Dakota, where all tobacco products were banned as of October 1, 1997. The ban has affected inmates and employees of both maximum-security and minimum-security institutions. The primary reason for the ban was to reduce health costs, but another concern was the amount of money inmates were spending on cigarettes, money they could be spending on personal hygiene products and sending home. Safety was another reason for the ban. By banning all matches and lighters along with the tobacco products, there have been no cell fires since the ban. North Dakota reported the same pre-ban attempts of aiding inmates to stop smoking voluntarily that were voiced by officials in Texas and Minnesota, two other States that have banned the use of tobacco products in prisons. These attempts had virtually no support from the inmates. The ban has been difficult for both inmate and staff smokers, and there has been some resistance, but adjustments are being made under the realization that the ban is not going to be reversed.