Sydney – New South Wales on Monday became the latest Australian state to ban smoking in prisons, with riot squads standing by in case of a revolt by inmates as the ban came into force.
“So far, so good. So far we have seen this implementation go without a hiccup”, Corrective Services Minister David Elliot said at a news conference in Sydney.
Prison authorities are concerned there may yet be a similar response by New South Wales prisoners to a riot at a Victorian prison in June when smoking was banned in that state’s jails.
In a 15-hour rampage, prisoners at Melbourne’s Remand Centre did an estimated 12 million Australian dollars (8.8 million U.S. dollars) of damage to property.
“If things do go wrong, we need to be prepared for that as well because we certainly don’t want to have a repeat of what happened in Victoria,” Corrective Services Commissioner, Peter Severin, was quoted as saying.
The no-smoking policy is aimed at reducing the risk of tobacco-related diseases.
Nicotine replacement therapy will be offered free to prisoners and workers for eight weeks, Severin said.
Inmates have been allowed wider access to sporting and recreational activities as alternatives to smoking.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
According to Cancer Council, New South Wales, the smoking rate among prisoners in the state is five times higher than in the general community with studies showing that smoking bans lower the death rate among prisoners.
New South Wales is the fourth Australian jurisdiction to ban smoking in prisons. (dpa/NAN)