Turning in the Screw: Prisoners Policing Staff, and other Issues with Engaging Prison Staff in a Work Place Smoking Ban
In: Exploring Issues of Confinement: Identity and ControlSearch for other papers by Alison Spurgeon-Dickson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
A total non-smoking policy is being considered by HM Prison Service, and prison managers are beginning to look at how this could be implemented. As a move towards a total tobacco ban, one prison in England has recently become one of the first prisons in the UK to have introduced a total smoking ban for prison staff. There exists a significant gap in recent scholarly research into the effects of smoking cessation initiatives within the prison workforce. The research aims of this chapter therefore were to explore the barriers and facilitators to the success of this initiative and to examine the impact of one prison’s smoking cessation programme. Rather than considering issues at a structural level, such as reviewing smoking cessation support mechanisms, this research explored the individual level, and gave voice to some of the staff concerned with this initiative. A sample of seven prison staff, three non-smokers and four smokers was interviewed about their perceptions before implementation, and eight weeks into the ban, what they considered to be facilitators or barriers to the success of the smoking ban. Findings suggest that smoking is perceived as a coping mechanism, and that resistance and negative attitudes are based on the belief that not being able to smoke leads to more pressure in an already stressful environment. Other barriers related to parity and a perceived unfairness when prisoners were still allowed to smoke. One of the main facilitators to the success of this initiative however, was the perception of power reversal and the idea of prisoners being well motivated to police the staff and report any who were smoking when they shouldn’t be. Within this chapter several strengths and limitations have been identified, and could be used constructively to inform further smoking cessation initiatives in prisons.