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Dept. Of Corrections Ends Cigarette Ban In Work Camps
September 15, 2013
Corrections officials quietly reversed a blanket ban on tobacco at prisons this summer and are now allowing inmates at work release centers to have up to 10 packs of cigarettes each.
Department of Corrections officials say they lifted the prohibition on tobacco-related products in the work release programs because they didn’t want prisoners so close to completing their sentences to have to go back behind bars for breaking the rules.
But the American Lung Association called the move a mistake.
“I’m surprised,” said Brenda Olsen, chief operating officer of the American Lung Association in Florida. Olsen said it’s incumbent state agencies to “set a good example” by barring or limiting tobacco use.
The switch comes less than two years after DOC made all tobacco-related products off-limits at prisons, work camps and work release centers on Sept. 30, 2011.
“The decision to eliminate smoking and tobacco use was made to reduce the medical cost associated with exposure to tobacco, and eliminate second hand smoke exposure to non-smokers,” the agency said in April 2011, when the ban was announced. The ban also applied to prison workers, who are not allowed to bring cigarettes into facilities, and to visitors. Death Row prisoners are allowed to buy two packs of smokeless tobacco products per week.
The federal Bureau of Prisons and more than half of the other states also ban tobacco in prisons, but the prohibitions have created a new demand for cigarettes, a valuable commodity behind bars. According to some reports, inmates in New York City jails are paying up to $200 for a pack of smokes.
During a six-month period shortly after the Florida ban went into effect, nearly 30,000 inmates or prison workers were caught with some sort of tobacco contraband, according to DOC’s annual report. The report does not say how many of the culprits were staff and how many were prisoners.
The new work camp rule went into effect on June 13 and allows the roughly 3,800 inmates in work programs to have up to 10 packs of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products or 20 cigars, plus one disposable lighter.
The rationale: Inmates on work release can get access to cigarettes, chewing tobacco or other products while they’re in the community.
“The Department determined, after assessment, that it was a better use of resources to not find an inmate in violation, which would potentially cause him/her to go back into prison, for possession of tobacco when so far along in the process of transitioning back into the community, hopefully as a productive citizen,” DOC spokeswoman Jessica Cary said.
Cary said there were “quite a few such incidents” of inmates being sent back to prison for sneaking smokes or other tobacco products into work release centers but no data was immediately available about how widespread the problem is. Prison guards and other staff have also been caught providing contraband tobacco products to prisoners, Cary said.
But making sure prisoners are tobacco-free before they are sent home would help them live healthier lives and save them money once they are released, Olsen said.
“We know how addictive tobacco products are,” Olsen said. “This is a great opportunity for these people to start their journey on having a smoke free life.”
By The News Service Of Florida
Pictured: Tobacco products are still banned inside Florida’s prisons, like the Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “Dept. Of Corrections Ends Cigarette Ban In Work Camps”
For years the Doc allowed smoking all I hear is how Bad the inmates are and they should have no privileges.. Well consider all the, free work these men provide to the community.. Prisons are self contained communities and all persons there are not bad people a mass majority are minor offenders such as traffic violations petty drug addicts alot of inmates would not be in jail if they had money for adequate legal representation …its a cigarette fur God sake give me a break….allow them the right
Tori,
Good point.
Snuff it is.
David for spitting contests
I have a question.
How will these cigarettes be lit? Lighters? Matches?
And if so, will these be lighters or matches that inmates carry around themselves at all time?
Do we really think it’s safe for inmates to have such easy access to something as dangerous as fire?
I understand that these are grown men and woman who should be able to smoke if they want to but these are also grown men and woman who have proven to themselves and society that they are not capable of making logical decisions.
What happens, for instance, when there’s a riot? Do the offenders really need yet another tool to use against our CO’s?
These offenders gave up their rights and liberties when they made whatever decision that landed them in jail or prison. Along with that came access to vices such as alcohol and nicotine.
If they can’t follow simple rules like “don’t smoke cigarettes in this facility” than maybe they aren’t ready to be reintroduced into society.
Seems stupid to punish anyone for having a legally sold cigarette in their possesion.
the doctors from the institute of Phillip Morris and Winston all agree that this is a great idea and should help lower the cost of health care for the inmates which we pay for.
Here’s an idea! If you are a smoker, and you wish to retain your choice of whether to smoke or not, then don’t do things that get you sent to a place where others much monitor and control your actions! Stay out of trouble and prison!
TO: hu……..I can say for Century CI & Century Work Camp, inmates DO NOT have the luxury of AC/Heat! Trust me, I go through those gates and work in the heat everyday.
Good.
Let them smoke.
Should shorten their time in prison one way or another.
To answer some of ur questions. The taxpayers will not pay for their tobacco use. Their family puts money in their account and they buy it in their commissary. (AKA stores inside the prison walls.)
…ok…why is this a controversy? as far as im concerned, these prisoners here are way too “cuddled”…they are in there to serve their time and punishment from “society” i.e. society dont want them among us …so all this smoking, AC, heat, medical, etc…is a luxury they really dont deserve. a prison should be a place where people dont want to go to…and they should follow the laws set forth to abide by them and their deviant behavior should be curtailed…to avoid this type of place…
“Just my opinion” you are completely lost it sounds like. I have worked in corrections for over ten years and you are wrong on every statement you made. You must be an inmates family member listening to the normal lies. First off, there was a transition period for tobacco users along with very advanced notice so inmates would not be blindsided with the change. Second, all facilities and dorms HAVE heat for winter. They all don’t have air conditioning, which is actually considered a luxury but Blackwater River Correctional Facility in Milton does. Finally, inmates DON’T pay for all of their medical expenses. Their medical emergencies are free of charge unless the emergency has been deemed not life threatening, then the inmate is charged five dollars lol. Their regular sick call visits and dental visits cost them only five dollars. Please point me to where my medical care can be that cheap PLEASE! Oh by the way, if they receive outside medical treatment in the hospital, they don’t pay a dime, we the taxpayers do. Please do some homework before posting.
Cigarette use is such a highly controversial subject, especially in the prison system. Hazards of smoking are well known, so getting on a soapbox to say how bad they are for you is like beating your head against the wall. And we all know how much they cost.
As a concerned citizen, you have to ask yourself how this decision affects you. Seems that if this decision keeps inmates from backtracking through the system; thereby saving money on housing costs and manpower, then this is a good idea. A concern is how well the prison officials maintain lighter usage in a locked up situation.
Will there ever be a win-win answer for the topic of cigarette use by inmates? I think not.
In my opinion, to completely take away something, as addictive as tobacco products, was not the best approach. Maybe if they gradually reduced the amount allowed, the transition would be a little easier for both the inmate and the staff. I understand the concern for medical expenses, but the families of inmates pay for their healthcare, as the inmate is charged for treatment. My question is that if they are so concerned about the effects of tobacco, why are they not equally concerned about the cost of treatments for heat strokes, heat exhaustion, and other related illnesses due to lack of ventilation? The prison system does not have heat in the winter or air in the summer, which attracts pests and insects, but I don’t see any articles on how to prevent having to treat an inmate for these types of issues. Inmates are humans that got caught making mistakes and are paying the consequences. Are they not entitled to be treated as human because they are inmates?
I would hate to know that a person had a couple of months to go before they got out to be caught and their sentences given an extra year..added cost to the tax payers to incarcerate them..for getting caught with a cigarette…that’s available to them anyways after they get out of prison.
Its like getting caught smoking at walmart stores and now off to prison you got.
The punishment does not fit the crime…which is not a crime if you are a free man or woman. Yes rules are rules. The state makes plenty of money off people breaking rules..lets say speeding..yet it costs the state to incarcerate a person for getting caught smoking. Very stupid analysis on “at what cost”
I don’t know cj, Joe Arpaio seems to be doing quite fine and he banned coffee as well.
Who will be paying for the tobacco products? When they are in the community how will the refuse be disposed of? Did this original rule apply to correctional workers as well? Today the prisons, will schools and restaurants be next?
Smoking is like legal meth..they’re both loaded with poisons and will kill the user.
I understand the need for a smoke free life. I hate smoke. Yet to be placed in the position of having to not smoke when it is not your decision is not easy. Not only that, it is extremely stressful from what I have witnessed personally. So now we have a very stressful situation with lots of people and in a prison. Somehow I do not think this would make it safer for anyone there. No I am not a smoker – never have been. My parents were and yes that smoke has affected me. Still I do not agree with this ban since it makes it so much harder for the officers and that will not change since the inmate population is constantly changing.