Should Prisoners Be Allowed To Smoke In Prison?

Apparently there is to be a trial in one prison whereby smoking will be banned according to the news I heard on the radio whilst driving yesterday.
If successful this will be extended throughout the country.
One ex inmate said there'll be riots if they bring this in.
FFS where is the line to be drawn? He was moaning that the price of tobacco had gone up in prison, there you go then, money saved!!

It will never work

I think prison should be made as horrible as possible for prisoners, like just the most shittest experience ever so that it makes offenders so against wanting to go back.
Whenever I see a jail on the news, they are all playing pool and sitting around having a great time. It looks like Porridge. We need to do what the Russian's do and make prison just awful.

I agree entirely with what you say Mike, what's the saying, if you can't do the time don't do the crime?
That's sums it up exactly.
AD is right though, it will never work. Send the army in and shoot a few, that'll work, but it's not PC!!

Yes i think the country could get behind the well thought out policy of "getting the army in and shooting a few"

You should stand on that as a local MP.

I'd get outvoted by the prison population!
They're more likely to vote for a namby pamby candidate. Know any?

Dale Cregan is throwing a shitty now because he isn't allowed to smoke. It's been banned in Ashworth since 2008 and it's tough if you smoke, try a bit of cold turkey.
Ironically he was in Strangeways and went on hunger strike to get in Ashworth!!

I'm surprised the human rights people are not in uproar .

Two thoughts. Firstly its a government owned facility, and should follow all other government owned facilities, and ban smoking. Secondly, anyone should be allowed to do what they like in their own home, and no matter how we look at it, this is their 'home'. I doubt a straight ban will work, unless there are permitted smoking areas. Its not as though you can tell them to go outside if they want a smoke.

Why should prisoners be allowed to smoke in an enclosed space. The rest of the country can't so why should they. It only needs one prison officer to go down with lung cancer from passive smoking a la Roy Castle and the compensation floodgates will open.

People are in prison as a punishment and allowing them to smoke is just an enforcement cop out.

Reebok Trotter wrote:Why should prisoners be allowed to smoke in an enclosed space. The rest of the country can't so why should they. It only needs one prison officer to go down with lung cancer from passive smoking a la Roy Castle and the compensation floodgates will open.

People are in prison as a punishment and allowing them to smoke is just an enforcement cop out.

 

Soul Kitchen wrote:

Reebok Trotter wrote:Why should prisoners be allowed to smoke in an enclosed space. The rest of the country can't so why should they. It only needs one prison officer to go down with lung cancer from passive smoking a la Roy Castle and the compensation floodgates will open.

People are in prison as a punishment and allowing them to smoke is just an enforcement cop out.

 

Totally agree! I wonder how much it costs the economy of keeping prisoners with a regular supply of cigarettes? 

I once heard that 95% of the prison population smoke, as this is a luxury inside.

It also costs over £40k a year to keep a prisoner in prison.

I say bollocks to them!

If people like a cigarette then they shouldn't break the law. A smoking ban in prison could be one of the best ways of reducing crime ever invented.

Its not the law though, at the moment. When this law came in outside, people had the option of going outside , or to a designated area, (doesn't have to be an enclosed room). I don't smoke, and haven't done so for about 40 years, but I would imagine having a ban imposed on you  overnight is going to create a lot of problems in the prison community. (As it happens I think they should be banned, but there should be thngs in place to help them do it, and not expect them all to give up as though its the easiest thing in the world).

Dont think it will work and dont it's worth the hassle.

Its a tough one both ethically and practically. In my opinion the whole prison system needs a rethink, I wouldn't waste the resources trying to stop smoking, other things should be fixed.

Biggie wrote:Its a tough one both ethically and practically. In my opinion the whole prison system needs a rethink, I wouldn't waste the resources trying to stop smoking, other things should be fixed.

Mixed prisons might be a step forward.

Soul Kitchen wrote:Dale Cregan is throwing a shitty now because he isn't allowed to smoke. It's been banned in Ashworth since 2008 and it's tough if you smoke, try a bit of cold turkey.
Ironically he was in Strangeways and went on hunger strike to get in Ashworth!!

He should be allowed to smoke while he burns alive:evil: