Editor’s Note: Something for tobacco control officials to consider.
From: Independent
Criminal justice experts warn ban will lead to rise in illicit substances and increased levels of self-harm and violence
May Bulman
The smoking ban is being introduced to help protect the health of staff and inmates, of whom more than 80 per cent smoke, bringing prisons in line with the UK wide ban on smoking in workplaces Getty
Violence and drug use is likely to increase in some of the UK’s prisons, experts have warned, after it was announced that a smoking ban would be implemented by the end of the summer.
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Criminal justice experts have warned that the move is likely to cause a rise in prisoners seeking out illicit substances to alleviate their addiction, as well as increased levels of self-harm and violence as inmates struggling to cope with stress are unable to turn to tobacco.
