Put that snout out! Prisoners face ban on smoking

A pilot scheme which will monitor how prisoners react to the move to outlaw cigarettes - in prison parlance “snouts” - is being planned by the Government but sites have not yet been chosen.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “We are considering banning smoking across the prison estate and as part of this are looking at possible sites as early adopters.”

The pilot scheme is expected to launch in the spring of next year and if successful the ban would be rolled out across all prisons within 12 months, The Times newspaper reported.

There are fears that the ban could cause disruption in prisons, with around 80% of inmates in England and Wales believed to smoke according to the NHS.

Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association, said introducing the ban would be difficult.

“There is no pretending otherwise,” he said.

“It could cause disturbances but they have done it successfully in Canada and in young offender institutions in England and Wales.”

He added: “We welcome this move. It is our policy to have smoke-free prisons for our members.

“We will work with the ministry to make sure it works effectively.”

Mr Gillan said that without a smoking ban the Prison Service risked legal action from a non-smoker claiming to suffer from the effects of passive smoking.

A document sent to senior prison staff said: “You will no doubt be aware that the decision has been made that the time is right for the prison estate to adopt a tobacco and smoke-free policy to provide a smoke-free workplace/environment for our staff and prisoners.”

It went on to say that the prisons involved in the pilot scheme would be selected from the South West.

The smoking ban introduced in England in 2007 restricted smoking in prisons but allowed inmates to light up in their cells.

Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan said: “Recent prison inspection reports show they are increasingly stretched on a daily basis battling simply to stop disturbances. A smoking ban in prisons without planning and resources seems an odd priority at a time when David Cameron’s out of touch government has failed to deliver a so called ‘rehabilitation revolution’.”