Would The Prospect Of Doing Time Without Their Tobacco Deter Some Potential Criminals?

[sandyRoe]

If so, a tobacco ban in prisons could be a good thing.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/18/prisons-smoking-ban-fears-unrest

[fiction-factory]

I'm not sure how effective a ban would be given that drugs are banned but drug use seems to be high in prison

[sandyRoe]

True enough, F-F. The devils in the detail.

[Ken4155]

I think there would be riot after riot after riot and i cannot believe that they are even considering it.

[Svejk]

The reason the smoking ban worked in pubs (and closed them all down) was the threat of a £5,000 fine for the landlord. No such worries for prisoners. We shall soon see.

[Ken4155]

I wonder just how many prison officers have been consulted over this?

[B00]

If lack of freedom doesn't deter 'em, I fail to see how lack of fags will.

[ummmm]

It won't deter them but it would make them very cranky!

[Old_Geezer]

True but only until they've finished going cold turkey and are off the tobacco wagon. Smoking is probably easier to detect what with smoke involved and presumably prisons have smoke detectors ?

[sevenOP]

I do not think it would deter them, but after they had done some time in prison with the ban in force, it may deter them/some.
Enacting the ban would also be a good time to remedy the hypocrisy of drugs being available too.

[RATTER15]

No it wouldn't work, if they thought they were going to get caught. they wouldn't commit the crime.

[retrocop]

Surely allowing the cons their snout by the Home Office is injurious to their health and contradicts the rehabilitation programme where tobacco is almost banned every where in the outside world. What a cruel shock to them when they are released. My daughter in law is a screw and smokes. She is not allowed tobacco inside the nick so it hurts her whilst the lags blow smoke in her face.
It is forbidden to smoke in a hospital and the surrounding grounds but it doesn't stop smokers ending up in there for whatever reason. :-)

[EDDIE51]

No one expects to get caught and go to jail so it will not deter anyone.
Tobacco is more than smoking material in prison it is currency. You can use it to buy things from other prisoners. For example there will be in almost every jail a hairdresser , one of the other inmates, they get paid in tobacco. You want sweets, porn mags? You pay with tobacco. Even non smokers need tobacco in jail! it is the key to any small luxuries even stuff like after shave and toiletries .

[mastercraft]

Punish them! They committed a crime. They deserve no luxuries.

[mastercraft]

Let's take it back to the days of iron bars instead of windows(microsoft included) and no heating or electricity. Make it a place you would not want to visit twice!

[EDDIE51]

Masterclass , possibly you missed my post about life after jail! To put it bluntly 75% of all those who have been to jail NEVER work again , so strong is the stigma about 'ex-cons' That applies to even those who have had a very short sentence of say 3 months. Even the shortest prison sentence is normally a 'life sentence'.

[EDDIE51]

Masterclass , there is NO internet in prisons. Only in the governor's/ warders office. Even the computers in the education block have no internet connections only the built in programs. TV sets in cells are the basic BBC and ITV channels only no Sky ! TV sets are a privilege and will be removed if the inmates break the rules. Prisoners in 'closed jails' which is most of them are locked up 20 hours a day only let out to collect food which has to be taken back to the cell to eat. You might get to see a newspaper once a week if you are lucky. The stories of prison life such as 'Porridge' you see on TV paint a very unrealistic version of prison life , in reality it is so boring you could not make a programme about it.

[sevenOP]

Very interesting comments EDDIE51, and disturbing.
I am not sure where you get ".. 75% of all those who have been to jail NEVER work again ," but if true this is a shocking figure and must be swiftly addressed: it is high time that the media - especially TV that has influenced people with 'jolly' shows like 'Porridge' and the newspapers with their propaganda of computers and computer games and mobile phones in jails - did some honest investigative journalism and informed us, the Public that fund the prisons, what goes on in those institutions.

I would rather be bored but know the truth than be entertained to suit someones agenda.

http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/features/criminal-record-chris-huhne-vicky-pryce-ched-evans

http://www.unlock.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/

[EDDIE51]

The figures are here if you can work through to find them. The employment rate varies with the level of qualifications .
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296320/impact-of-experience-in-prison-on-employment-status-of-longer-sentenced-prisoners.pdf
Only 51 to 28 % are employed after several months out of jail
reoffending is as high as 75% in many areas of the UK.
Reoffending