Wellington - New Zealand is to ban smoking in the country's prisons from July 1, 2011, Corrections Minister Judith Collins announced on Monday, dismissing warnings that the move would lead to increased violence.
About 5 700 prisoners - two-thirds of the current total - smoke and they will be given cessation courses, including nicotine patches, to help them quit over the next 12 months.
"The high level of smoking in our prisons poses a serious health risk to staff and prisoners," Collins said. She said it was not fair that the 3 500 corrections staff were the only workers in the country not given protection from second-hand smoke in the workplace.
Kim Workman, a former Justice Department executive and director of the Rethinking Crime and Punishment organisation said the move was likely to cause "violence or mayhem of some kind."
He said it would be particularly difficult for new prisoners who were already grappling with drug and alcohol withdrawal and mental and physical health issues as they started their sentences.
Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon told Radio New Zealand: "People coming off nicotine can be very unpredictable and very anxious and aggressive, and we're going to have a large part of our prison population going through that and we (prison officers) are going to have to manage them."
Celia Lashlie, a former head of a women's prison, predicted havoc in the country's jails when the ban is introduced.
She told Radio New Zealand the move was not about second-hand smoke. With an election due late next year, she said the government was trying to appeal to conservative New Zealanders by appearing tough on criminals.
Collins said smoking bans had been introduced in prisons in the US, Canada and Australia, and there were risks in allowing prisoners to have tobacco - often used as informal currency - as well as matches and lighters. - Sapa-dpa