NHS Health Scotland
Printable version

Prisons to be smoke-free by 2018

NHS Health Scotland welcomed yesterday’s announcement by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) that it intends to make Scotland's prisons smoke free by the end of next year.

Inmates are currently permitted to smoke within cells and in some outside areas within prisons.   This will come to an end in November 2018.

Celia Gardiner, Tobacco Control Organisation Lead at NHS Health Scotland said:

“Regulating to protect people from the dangers of second hand smoke is an important public health measure.  Today’s announcement will help to bring prisons in line with other public spaces, where smoking has not been permitted since 2006.  

The hazards of second hand smoke are widely recognised. This development will make prisons healthier places for prison officers and prisoners alike.

All prisoners in Scotland have access to a person-centred smoking cessation service, the specification for which we published in 2015.  We will continue to work with the SPS and our health board partners to drive improvements in this area so that all prisoners receive the support they need to stop smoking.”

More on smoking and health inequalities

 

Channel website: http://www.healthscotland.scot

Share this article

Latest News from
NHS Health Scotland

Free, Secure, Compliant UK Public Sector IT Recycling Service