Drug treatment programmes which provide support to jailed heroin addicts could be undermined by the Minister for Health's plan to ban smoking in the workplace, the Irish Prison Service has warned.
Prison Service personnel charged with drawing up a State-wide smoking policy have met Department of Health officials to express concern that the successful introduction of treatment programmes could be "negated" by a prohibition on cigarettes.
A Prison Service committee also warned that cigarettes and tobacco products would become a "contraband which could rival the existing drugs culture" and result in "peer pressure and inmate disorder".
Smoking levels are high in prison, where between 80 and 85 per cent of male inmates and almost 100 per cent of women are regular smokers.
A report drafted by the committee, which includes the governor of the Mountjoy training unit, Mr John O'Hara, said the ban would be difficult to implement. It cautioned against an "abrupt transition" to a smoke-free environment which could lead to "serious behaviour and operational difficulties".
It said that, based on evidence in other jurisdictions where smoking bans have been put in place, it was best to proceed on an incremental basis. Limiting smoking to outside recreation yards and single-occupancy cells may be possible. This, however, would pose several security and operational problems, the reports points out.
It added: "A ban would pose severe psychological problems for the group, potentially leading to disruptive behaviour within the prison environment. The availability of cigarettes and tobacco products in prison is generally accepted as a calming measure for persons deprived of their freedom."
The committee met the Department of Health last April to discuss how the smoking ban would be implemented. Details of the Prison Service's concerns have emerged as part of a wide-ranging consultation process with the Health and Safety Authority about the smoking ban. The Minister for Health is expected to discuss how the ban will be implemented with a number of interest groups next month, including prison officers.
The Prison Service's position conflicts with the stance of the Prison Officers' Association, which has said it will not accept any dilution of the ban.
While conceding it would be difficult to implement, the association insists a ban is necessary for the health of its members.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust, however, has backed up the concerns of the Irish Prison Service.
Dr Valerie Bresnihan said that while prison was a workplace for many, it was also home to 3,000 prisoners, who should be entitled to smoke.
She said a more realistic solution would be to follow the US, where a partial ban was introduced in prisons with designated smoking areas.
