By James Simons-
A smoking ban to be implemented in all Uk prisons is welcome, and a positive change that should be embraced.
Plans for the ban have been implemented in some prisons, but last week prisoners in Birmingham sparked a riot in response, sparking hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage – after they were banned from smoking.
Inmates smashed sinks and destroyed televison sets at the Category C HMP Haverigg when plans of the latest smoking ban to be applied to them was made known.
In a new policy unveiled, all British jails must be completely smoke-free by September.
Commentators warned before hand that the ban spark violent clashes behind in prisons, but they did not foresee the potential extent of such clashes.
Prisoners in the Langdale wing of HMP Haverigg in Cumbria initially peacefully protested the ban last Tuesday when they learned of the prohibition of tobacco as part of the all-out ban. The peaceful protest soon turned into violent confrontations, prompting anti-riot units to intervene in the break out.
Anti-riot units dressed in Robocop-style black boiler suit and, armed with shields and American-style PR-24 sidearm batons.were scrambled to the scene to control the violent scenes as they tackled numerous ringleaders and swiftly transferred the trouble shooters to other jails.
PRESSURE
The riot will put extra pressure on the Prison Service, as they struggle to cope with over-crowded cells and an over-stretched workforce.
Glyn Travis from the Prison Officers Association blamed the Prison Service for failing to act properly. He said prison chiefs had been given “10 years” to address a smoking ban but had failed to act properly.
He added: “Now this ban is being rushed into prisons already overcrowded and volatile. It is a lethal cocktail and could lead to more violence and riots.”
The new stringent policy is active in about a quarter of prisons so far , but yet to be extended to maximum security prisons in the country.
Mr Travis said: “Haverigg is the one that has had the biggest reaction to date to the smoking ban.
“We are not even a quarter of the way through the process yet so this will be repeated as more prisoners are being forced to give up smoking, which also limit their access to drugs.
“This is a catalyst of problems and when you’ve got prisoners who are in establishments like Haverigg, and they shouldn’t be there because they are too risky, too dangerous, too violent, it’s a recipe for disaster.
“There are around 25 to 40 prison still going through the process of becoming smoke free.
“As the policy is rolled out the potential for violence increase and we believe that if you had the right staffing levels then the reaction wouldn’t be as bad.
“It’s been a knee-jerk reaction from the prison service realising that they’ve endangered staff for many, many years and now they’re trying to bring in this programme too quickly.
“No Category A prison has gone smoke free yet. There are longer serving prisoners here and the reality is that the reaction will be worse.”
Prisoners at Cat C Featherstone prison had to be locked up by force after they tried to stage a protest by refuing to return to their cells.
More than 80% of the UK’s 86,000 inmates currently smoke but a complete ban is being introduced to help protect the health of staff and inmates.
The policy, which is designed to bring prisons in line with the UK wide ban on smoking in workplaces is set to affect over 80% of prison smokers
But in May a leaked memo revealed experts feared violence and drug use was likely to increase in the wake of the smoking ban.
Prisoners in long-term and maximum security jails were encouraged to sign up for courses and apply for nicotine patches.
REPORT
An independent report into the smoking ban put in place at HMP Cardiff in 2016 concluded that there was a sharp rise in vandalism and violence because of withdrawal symptoms. The ban is a positive move for prisons where smokers unfairly affect the health of the minority of prisoners who value their health and do not wish to smoke. Smoking in prisons also influence many none smokers to experiment in jail for the first time just to fit in with the crowd. Prisons have many challenging moments of boredom and stress arising from being locked up in cells for multiple hours, bullying, and peer pressure. Smoking helps inmates feel an ease or stress free energy, but this feeling is a delusion. Smoking damages the health and intrudes on the health of none smokers who in a prison environemnt may be forced to become passive smokers.
Depriving smokers from smoking when serving a jail sentence must be very annoying and frustrating for prison inmates, but the hard reality of the matter is that prison is meant to deprive convicts from their usual freedom. The forced law may help smokers seriously consider giving up the habit, but aditional educational material on the impacts of smoking on the health to increase their knowledge about the effects of smoking from a scientific standpoint will be a helpful substitute for those intoxicated with the habit of smoking. Millions of brits smoke cigarettes and cannabis and will struggle with an imposed ban for the duration of a jail sentence, but this should add to the punishment that comes with a prison sentence for smokers, and also offer an educational gain to prisoners if some vocational or academic training about the health can be added to the mix of a smoking ban.