Implementing an Indoor Smoking Ban in Prison: Enforcement Issues and Effects on Tobacco Use, Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke and Health of Inmates (Mixed Methods) (Report‪)‬

Smoking is an important health issue in correctional environments. Smoking prevalence is reported to be high in penitentiaries, yet the last study to measure tobacco use in Canadian correctional facilities dates back to 1995. At the time, 72% of the inmates held in Canadian federal penitentiaries were smokers, (1) compared to 31% of the general population aged 15 and over. (2) To our knowledge, no empirical study has investigated the prevalence of smoking in provincial correctional facilities. However, in a recent study carried out in three Quebec correctional facilities, health care staff members estimated that about three quarters of the inmates were smokers. (3) As a consequence of the high level of tobacco use in correctional facilities, both inmates and staff members are exposed to very high levels of second-hand smoke (SHS)4-6 and therefore are more likely than the general population to develop tobacco-related forms of cancer and disease. (7) According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of the most efficient means to preserve the health of both the inmates and the staff members is the implementation of regulations banning tobacco use inside correctional facilities. (8)