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| NSW prisons prepare for smoking ban with Victorian riot fresh in the memory | NSW prisons prepare for smoking ban with Victorian riot fresh in the memory |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| New South Wales authorities are taking advice from their Victorian colleagues in the hope of preventing a repeat of last month’s Melbourne prison riot as the state prepares to make all its prisons smoke-free. | New South Wales authorities are taking advice from their Victorian colleagues in the hope of preventing a repeat of last month’s Melbourne prison riot as the state prepares to make all its prisons smoke-free. |
| The former federal Liberal senator Chris Puplick, now chairman of NSW Justice Health, said he expected a “smooth transition”. | The former federal Liberal senator Chris Puplick, now chairman of NSW Justice Health, said he expected a “smooth transition”. |
| “In places like the Northern Territory and New Zealand when they introduced smoke free prisons there was no significant problem,” he said. | “In places like the Northern Territory and New Zealand when they introduced smoke free prisons there was no significant problem,” he said. |
| From 10 August, smoking will not be permitted on the grounds of any NSW correctional centre, including outdoor areas, car parks and visitor processing areas. | From 10 August, smoking will not be permitted on the grounds of any NSW correctional centre, including outdoor areas, car parks and visitor processing areas. |
| Cigarettes, tobacco and smoking-related items such as matches, lighters and e-cigarettes will also be banned. | Cigarettes, tobacco and smoking-related items such as matches, lighters and e-cigarettes will also be banned. |
| NSW Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, along with Corrective Services NSW, has been planning for the ban since 2013. | NSW Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, along with Corrective Services NSW, has been planning for the ban since 2013. |
| Its 2009 Inmate Health Survey found more than three quarters of participants were smokers, five times higher than the state average, and 85% of these smokers indicated they would like to quit. | Its 2009 Inmate Health Survey found more than three quarters of participants were smokers, five times higher than the state average, and 85% of these smokers indicated they would like to quit. |
| With roughly 8,000 smokers to treat and a number of staff members, Puplick said it had “just about cornered the market on nicotine patches”. | With roughly 8,000 smokers to treat and a number of staff members, Puplick said it had “just about cornered the market on nicotine patches”. |
| The network would not confirm exactly how many patches they had but a spokeswoman said there was a “sufficient” supply, including up to eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy per patient that would be offered free of charge. | The network would not confirm exactly how many patches they had but a spokeswoman said there was a “sufficient” supply, including up to eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy per patient that would be offered free of charge. |
| Related: Prisoners riot at Melbourne's Ravenhall remand centre over smoking ban | Related: Prisoners riot at Melbourne's Ravenhall remand centre over smoking ban |
| Thereafter, inmates would be able to buy lozenges, but not patches, to assist with withdrawal symptoms. | Thereafter, inmates would be able to buy lozenges, but not patches, to assist with withdrawal symptoms. |
| Patients have been given access to telephone support Quitline, information sessions, printed pamphlets and extra recreational activities. | Patients have been given access to telephone support Quitline, information sessions, printed pamphlets and extra recreational activities. |
| Former inmate and Justice Action co-ordinator Brett Collins said the measures were ridiculous and would raise tension, warning that prisoners could become “radicalised” by the ban, leaving the public to feel the brunt of a backlash when they were released. | |
| “Prisoners have already lost everything and the ban is a deliberate torment of those people,” he told AAP. | |
| “In NSW every year 29,000 people go in and out of prison and if you degrade them you’re effectively radicalising a group of people who are already unstable.” | |
| On 30 June, 300 inmates at Ravenhall correctional facility in Victoria rioted in response to the smoking ban in that state. The inmates broke into worksheds where they got hold of sticks and other weapons, smashed windows and lit fires. | On 30 June, 300 inmates at Ravenhall correctional facility in Victoria rioted in response to the smoking ban in that state. The inmates broke into worksheds where they got hold of sticks and other weapons, smashed windows and lit fires. |
| The smoking ban in Victorian prisons remains in place. A Corrections Victoria spokeswoman said security measures had been increased and they had “not experienced any further trouble”. | The smoking ban in Victorian prisons remains in place. A Corrections Victoria spokeswoman said security measures had been increased and they had “not experienced any further trouble”. |
| A number of reviews into the riot are under way, including an independent review led by former Victorian deputy police commissioner Kieran Walshe. | A number of reviews into the riot are under way, including an independent review led by former Victorian deputy police commissioner Kieran Walshe. |
| Puplick said Ravenhall was primarily a remand prison and therefore many inmates had “not been part of any education program” – hence the announcement came as a shock. | Puplick said Ravenhall was primarily a remand prison and therefore many inmates had “not been part of any education program” – hence the announcement came as a shock. |
| The policy was also important for prison staff, he said, who are “entitled to have a secure, smoke-free working environment in exactly the same way if they were working in a hospital or public service office”. | The policy was also important for prison staff, he said, who are “entitled to have a secure, smoke-free working environment in exactly the same way if they were working in a hospital or public service office”. |
| But Associate Professor Jenny Martin, a social work expert from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), said smoking bans could disrupt relationships between staff and prisoners, in “what can be an already tense and fraught environment”. | But Associate Professor Jenny Martin, a social work expert from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), said smoking bans could disrupt relationships between staff and prisoners, in “what can be an already tense and fraught environment”. |
| “The removal of a coping mechanism increases levels of tension and risk of aggressive and violent responses – as seen at Ravenhall,” she said. | “The removal of a coping mechanism increases levels of tension and risk of aggressive and violent responses – as seen at Ravenhall,” she said. |
| “I do not advocate smoking but recommend it be allowed in prisons and secure mental health wards in separated, open courtyard areas where health impacts of smoking will not impact negatively on others.” | “I do not advocate smoking but recommend it be allowed in prisons and secure mental health wards in separated, open courtyard areas where health impacts of smoking will not impact negatively on others.” |
| Cancer Council NSW and other health experts, including Associate Professor Renee Bittoun of the University of Sydney’s brain and mind research institute, have backed the move. | Cancer Council NSW and other health experts, including Associate Professor Renee Bittoun of the University of Sydney’s brain and mind research institute, have backed the move. |
| “We really do have a duty of care to help smokers, no matter who they are or where they are, to quit smoking,” Bittoun said. | “We really do have a duty of care to help smokers, no matter who they are or where they are, to quit smoking,” Bittoun said. |
| “A disproportionate number of people with mental health concerns end up in the prison system and it may be the reason why they smoke. And we know the mental health of people who quit greatly improves.” | “A disproportionate number of people with mental health concerns end up in the prison system and it may be the reason why they smoke. And we know the mental health of people who quit greatly improves.” |