Press release - 14 March 2007

Smokefree prisons

The Prison Service is to introduce stricter controls on smoking in prisons, which will apply to both publicly and privately provided prisons. Significant progress has been made with the Prison Service to deal with secondhand smoke within prison environments.

The Prison Service has just issued a Prison Service Instruction (PSI) to be implemented in all prisons (in England and Wales) from 1 April, in time for the implementation of smokefree legislation in Wales.

The PSI is the product of wide-ranging consultation across Prison Service management, Staff Associations, Trade Unions, the NHS and Department of Health and represents an important step in protecting prisoners and prison staff from the harmful effects of exposure to secondhand smoke. Importantly, the PSI recognises the desirability of attaining a completely smokefree prison estate in the future.

This PSI will require all prisons to have a new smoking policy implemented and active by 1st April 2007. Broadly, the PSI will require all indoor areas to be smoke free, with the exception of cells occupied solely by smokers, and for arrangements to be in place to minimise the dangers of secondhand smoke. Establishments or units holding prisoners under 18 years of age must have an entirely smoke free environment within their buildings.