KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — A recent study found that second-hand smoke in Scottish jails fell by 80 per cent after the introduction of a smoking ban. Earlier, more than 70 per cent of prisoners in Scotland smoked regularly.
A comparision was made against smoke levels in 2016 which pre-dated the ban.
All Scottish prisons became smoke-free on November 30, 2018. However, vaping is permitted and e-cigarettes are offered free of charge for prisoners.
The air quality was found to have improved in all 15 jails in Scotland.
Researchers from the University of Stirling found that the scale of change was similar to when pubs and most enclosed public spaces in Scotland became smoke-free in 2006. They expect that this would result in a positive impact for the health of prisoners and prison staff.
The ban is part of an effort to help inmates to quit smoking.
A 2017 major report into prison workers’ exposure to second-hand smoke resulted in the ban. It showed that levels of second-hand smoke in some prison cells were similar to levels found in bars.
Prison staff were found to be exposed to similar levels of smoke as someone who lived with a smoker.
Many prisons in England have already introduced a similar ban.
