NCJ Number
188927
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 81 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2001 Pages: 142-161
Date Published
June 2001
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Case studies of 16 jails and prisons sought to determine the effects of cigarette bans versus restrictions on inmate culture and prison economies.
Abstract
The study resulted from recognition that policies on cigarette smoking had become increasingly restrictive in jails and prisons since the mid-1980’s. The researchers selected jails and prisons that were changing their smoking policy or had recently changed it, were regarded as authorities on the topic of banning cigarettes in correctional facilities, or were in regions where tobacco was an important part of the local or regional economy. Information came from conversations with correctional administrators, and site visits, interviews, and informal conversations with inmates and staff in 10 jails and 6 prisons in 8 states: California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New jersey, North Carolina, and Washington. Results revealed that bans can transform largely benign cigarette gray markets in which cigarettes are a currency into more problematic black markets in which cigarettes are a highly priced commodity. The analysis pointed to several structural factors that affected the development of cigarette black markets in the visited facilities. These factors included the architectural design, inmate movement inside and outside, officer involvement in smuggling cigarettes to inmates, and officer vigilance in enforcing the smoking policy. Although these factors affected the influx of illicit drugs and other types of contraband into correctional facilities, this study argues that the demand and availability of cigarettes created a unique kind of black market. The analysis concluded that the cigarette black markets that emerged in response to cigarette bans typically had a negative impact on inmates in the facilities visited. 15 references (Author abstract modified)