SMOKING CESSATION
THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT’S AIM OF CREATING A ‘TOBACCO-FREE GENERATION’ BY 2034 WILL TAKE A STEP FURTHER AT THE END OF NOVEMBER THIS YEAR, WHEN PRISONS IN SCOTLAND BECOME SMOKE FREE. SP LOOKS AT HOW THE INITIATIVE IS PROGRESSING….
SMOKE-FREE PRISONS MOVE A STEP CLOSER
A
lthough smoking prevalence rates have declined among the general adult population in Scotland to 20 per cent over the last few years, they remain high among Scotland’s prison population.
In 2016, a survey carried out by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) found that 72 per cent of prisoners reported being smokers: more than three times the rate of the general population. Just as with those within the general population, the majority of smokers in prison want to stop smoking, with 56 per cent of prisoners who smoke saying in the same survey that they wanted to give up smoking.
Earlier research by the SPS had highlighted the fact that the more times an offender appeared in custody, the more likely he or she was to smoke: 60 per cent of those who had ‘never’ been in prison on a sentence; 74 per cent of the ‘one to five’ times group; 86 per cent of the ‘six to ten’ times group; and 89 per cent of the ‘over ten times’ group were smokers.
With these statistics in mind, when, in 2017, the SPS announced that smoking was to be banned in Scottish prisons by the end of 2108, everyone recognised the enormity of the task that lay ahead.
The announcement of the move to smoke-free prisons was accompanied by the launch of a large scale tobacco in Prisons Study (TIPS) led by the
University of Glasgow. The report represented the most comprehensive study in the world of prison workers’ exposure to second-hand smoke.
Speaking at the launch of the report, which revealed that there were high levels of second-hand smoke present in a number of Scottish prisons, Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of SPS called it a ‘call to action’.
‘It is not acceptable,’ he said at the time, ‘that those in our care and those who work in our prisons should be exposed to second-hand smoke. We have already put measures in place to reduce this risk by insisting that prisoners close their cell doors when they are smoking, thereby reducing the exposure of that smoke to others.’
Referring to the objective of achieving a ‘smoke-free prison estate’ by the end of 2018 as a ’significant challenge’, McConnell stressed SPS’ commitment to working alongside their partners in the NHS to provide every support possible to assist them.
Stop smoking support and nicotine replacement therapy are already available to all prisoners in Scotland. NHS Health Scotland became responsible for delivering smoking cessation support to prisons in 2011. A 2015 review of NHS Scotland’s smoking cessation services recommended that ‘specialist smoking cessation service support should be focused on increasing the number of
people quitting in priority groups’, including prisoners. Recent figures indicate that 1043 quit attempts were made in Scotland’s prisons, although the number varied quite significantly from prison to prison.
Recently, Liam Kerr, the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party’s North East Scotland representative asked what preparations the Scottish Prison Service was taking to implement the no smoking policy across the prison estate, and whether electronic cigarettes would be permitted.
In a statement, Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), gave an update on the steps being taken.
‘SPS has made changes to the Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2011 and single use, first generation e-cigarettes are being introduced for sale to those in our care,’ he said. ‘Further changes to these Rules will be made which will enable simultaneous implementation of smoke-free prisons across Scotland on 30 November 2018.
‘SPS will deliver support to those in our care through facilitating additional smoking cessation classes and provision of an effective range of nicotine replacement therapies. SPS has also been working collaboratively on an ongoing basis, with NHS and other partners, in order to implement
and review our integrated Smoke-free Prisons’ Strategy and Communication Plan. These initiatives will assist those who wish to stop smoking or manage their nicotine intake in a much less harmful way, whilst maintaining safety and security for those who live, work and visit our prisons.’
Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of Health Charity ASH Scotland is delighted with the progress that has already been made and with the fact that, thanks to a lot of hard work by the SPS and the health boards, the target date of 30 November looks achievable.
‘ASH Scotland welcomes the strong commitment made by the Scot- tish Prison Service to go smoke-free throughout Scotland’s prison estates by the end of November this year,’ she told SP. ‘This change should both protect people from harmful second- ary tobacco smoke, and support the majority of smokers in prisons who say they want to quit. Preparations are well underway to provide stop-smok- ing support in prisons and to learn from experiences elsewhere in the UK and internationally.
‘Cigarettes are often viewed as a cop- ing mechanism for stress and bore- dom. However research makes clear that tobacco is a false friend in every sense, undermining people’s physical and mental health and their financial well-being.’ •
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