Prisoners who smoke are to be offered free vaping kits as Scotland’s jails prepare to go tobacco-free this autumn.
Plans to ban tobacco in prison were announced last year amid growing concern about the health risks of passive smoking.
Vaping kits will be issued from the start of November, before the ban comes into force at the end of the month.
For two months they will be free. They will then be sold at a discounted rate until April, after which prisoners will have to pay the normal price for e-cigarette equipment.
More than 70% of Scotland’s prison inmates are believed to smoke, a much higher rate than the general population. Among female inmates, the figure could be as high as 95%.
Smoking in enclosed public places was banned in Scotland in 2006, but it did not apply to prisons.
Until now inmates have been permitted to smoke in their cells and some outside spaces.
Concerns have been voiced that the smoking ban could lead to unrest, but similar bans have already been introduced in many parts of England.
Source:Â www.bbc.co.uk
