Hi all I am sooo mad right now the BOP is starting a tobacco free policy starting oct. 15, 2004. how are they gonna take away smoking from inmates when thats what relaxes alot of them. the real kicker ic the CO's can still smoke right in front of them!!! they want a peaceful prison, but it don't take a rocket scientist to see that a 1000 men having nicotine fits from going cold turkey is gonna be anything but peaceful!! If anyone has a free minute please email the BOP at bop.gov and let them know how stupid this is, maybe if they get bombarded with emails they may rethink it. thanks

shawny

whioah! that is SO Funky! i know that most of the state & county jails & prisons did this long ago, but hey i'm like you: what do people do in EVERY prison movie? SMOKE! if i didn't have my smokes, i'd go out & commit heinous felonies!! & w/out my ol man, i smoke TWICE what i did when he was home!
(i can only imagine how bad he wants a smoke now, but since he's on indigent status, i bet he don't wake up in the middle of the nite & IMMEDIATELY grab a cig, like he did before he went down!!)

Actually, smoking is not being banned at all federal prisons. The new policy is that smoking is banned indoors (and I think CO's are included in that). Then every warden gets to make his/her own decision as to whether designated smoking areas will be in the outside areas. Some wardens have decided to ban smoking altogether. But some, like at Sheridan FCI, are designating outdoor smoking areas. Victorville FCI has had only outdoor smoking areas since it opens and that seems to work just fine. They have lighters built into the fences on the outdoor walkways so prisoners don't have matches. I'd think most wardens would want to still allow some smoking because they make money in the commissary from selling tobacco products. Zelda

The military and all Federal Buildings went to this policy long ago. Actually, I am surprised it has taken BOP so long.

I retired from the military in 1995 and this policy had been effect for quite awhile then, nothing like smoking outside in Boston in the dead of winter. That was when I decided to quit.

Patti

As the rest said it's not a new thing and guess what? The world doesn't end for the inmates. I think the majority of the State and Federal Prisons are non smoking now. I can't believe the CO can smoke, I'd get confirmation on that, it would only take a 1st year law student to think of the class action lawsuit against a state that "exposed inmates to second hand smoke from CO's" If they CO's are smoking in the presence and air of the inmates I'll wager it's not for long. What's messed up, is in several states Tobacco in a State Priosn is now a Felony charge, now that is insane!!

My husband is in a federal facility and my sister works for a the system. CO's cannot smoke in those faclities. As a matter of fact their union took on the BOP and lost. They tried to say that it was unfair of the system to expect them to work 12 hour shifts without smoking. Especially when they were locked in houseing units all night. There is suppose to be an exception for tower workers and people who drive on patrol as long as they are alone.

I agree with the military thing. I was on a ship and smoking was banned in all but one small area on the ship. At night when the ship was locked and you couldn't go out you were not allowed to smoke. It's not just the inmates who are sufferring with this new anti-smoking policy over the years.