The Corrections Minister, Judith Collins, says that smoking in prisons will be banned from July 2011. Prison will be safer because there will be no cigarettes, no lighters and no matches. At the moment, prisoners are allowed to smoke in their cells and in the outside yard. There are 8,700 prisoners in jails in New Zealand. 5,800 of them smoke. That’s about two thirds of all prisoners.

Judith Collins said that next year prisons will be a healthier environment for the prisoners and for the prison guards. The guards are the only workers in New Zealand who have to breathe in second-hand smoke at work. In all other workplaces, it is illegal to smoke.

A Human Rights lawyer, Michael Bott, says prisoners will become more dangerous if they are not allowed to smoke. Nicotine is a drug which helps them to relax. However, Judith Collins is more concerned about the rights of the prison guards, not the prisoners.

Prisoners will have one year to help them give up smoking. They can take an eight-week course to help them quit smoking and will be given free nicotine patches.

Questions

1. Do you think prisoners should be allowed to smoke in the outside yard?

2. Just under 22% of all New Zealanders smoke. Why do you think the percentage of smokers in prison is around 66%?

3. The number of smokers in New Zealand is dropping slowly, especially among young people. Do you think it’s possible to have a smoke-free New Zealand by 2020?