Posted on 12/06/2014 5:35:17 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The Justice Department (DOJ) is banning smoking and all tobacco products in federal prisons, according to a final regulation to be published Monday.
All federal prison inmates will be prohibited from smoking, unless they receive a religious exemption. Staff will also still be able to smoke in designated areas. The government said they are moving forward with the regulation, which goes into effect in 30 days, out of concerns of the health of their inmates.
The rule will affect the estimated 80 percent of prison inmates that smoke.
“The revised regulations generally prohibit smoking in and on the grounds of Bureau institutions and offices, except as part of an authorized inmate religious activity; and, for Bureau staff and official visitors, only in smoking areas designated by the Warden,” the final rule said. “Possession of smoking apparatus and tobacco in any form is prohibited for inmates under this rule, unless as part of an authorized inmate religious activity.”
“We intend this amendment to promote a clean air environment and to protect the health and safety of staff and inmates,” the DOJ’s Bureau of Prisons (BOP) said.
The government has been working to ban smoking in prisons since 2006, according to the rule.
Several commenters raised concerns about a larger black market due to the ban, and said the rule was unfair since it does not apply to prison guards.
“Banning tobacco products will decrease the safety of staff,” said one commenter. “The price of contraband tobacco will increase, inciting inmate security issues.”
BOP said the rule is not unfair since, “As a practical matter, smoking is a lawful activity for Bureau employees.”
“In the interests of balancing staff morale with institution safety and security, the Director has decided to allow for the possibility of limited opportunities for staff smoking,” they said.
With the new rule, federal prisons join a growing list of where smoking may soon be outlawed. Outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel suggested banning tobacco sales at all military installations, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would like to outlaw tobacco use at every work place in the country, including construction sites, the Capitol building, casinos, airports with smoking rooms, and Major League Baseball.
The religious exemption for prison inmates is likely aimed at Native Americans, who have a history of ceremonial tobacco smoking.
One commenter argued that the regulation would create a “substantial burden” on the “religious exercise of Native Americans,” though the government decided to permit smoking as an “authorized inmate religious activity.”
what you said . . .
Wait ‘til the nicotine withdrawal hits ..... the buggering, enslaving, stabbing & beating should hit new heights.
peyote. Indians religion.
Not to worry. Holder plans on letting them all out anyway
How’s Bupkus gonna pay to keep bubba’s hands, and all else, off of his person, now???
Can you say “Jail Break!”
Maybe not. Michigan did this a few years ago and it went fine. But we did it gradually, over a period of 3 months rather than cold turkey. And sanctions for smoking after the ban were held in abeyance for 60 days. Are cigarettes used for prison barter? Yes, they are. But guess what? they were before too! The only difference is now they’ll get sanctioned for possession of tobacco as well as bartering.
CC
asinine idea...these characters are hard enough to control as it is and to deny a person who has smoked for years the opportunity (ex post facto) is cruel at best.They should adopt a policy that says that as of January 1, 2016, smoking will be prohibited and give prisoners the time to adjust. As far as staff is concerned, restricted smoking areas are O.K. but not a total ban...
Honestly, I thought all prisons had been smoke-free since the 1990s. I remember when Colorado executed a man back in the late 90s. It was their first execution in a long time. The condemned had asked for a last cigarette and was refused.
Islam will continue to proliferate, however.
When the inmates have a nicotine “fit” all he** will break loose - people get very angry when they don’t have their smokes. Of all the things wrong with prisons - they pick on this?
It’s been law in Kalifornistan since 2005.
But smoking pole will be promoted.
Good Luck with that one. For some of these men, an occasional puff is all they’ve got to drift away from the gloom and doom, even if just for five minutes. They are making generalized rules just like the EU did ‘over there’.
**”Well that’s one way to evangelize the peace pipe I suppose”**
This is from wiki, the government is very pro-religion, for some religions.
N.O.I. Security Agency
In 1988 the Nation of Islam created a separate security agency using members of the Fruit of Islam. The agency received contracts primarily to patrol and staff public housing complexes in tough urban areas like Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles and received at least $20 million in the 1990s for security work. NOI Security had notable successes in Washington, D.C. projects particularly, but had difficulty in others and faced opposition by some members of Congress and the Anti-Defamation League, among others. It also faced scrutiny from federal agencies for racial and gender preference in hiring and from the IRS for failure to withhold taxes from employees.
Mission statement
The Fruit of Islam says its mission is to teach civilization, and teach what they know to those who do not know. A Nation of Islam website urging men to enroll in the FOI describes members as “brave fighter[s] for Allah” engaged in “a unique war for the very heart and soul of a people.” The site explains, “The responsibility of the F.O.I. is that of a head of house: protection, provision, and maintenance of the Nation of Islam (all Original People). The F.O.I. are militant in the sense that our operations are done as a unit.”
At least they will be in better shape and able to run from cops more successfully when they get out.
A little more to that post.
“The Fruit of Islam (FOI), or “Fruit” for short, is the male-only paramilitary wing of the Nation of Islam (NOI). The Fruit of Islam wear distinctive blue or white uniforms and caps and have units at all NOI temples. Louis Farrakhan, as head of the Nation of Islam, is commander-in-chief of the Fruit of Islam, and his son, Mustapha Farrakhan Sr, is second in command.
The Fruit of Islam draws its membership from male members in Nation of Islam temples. While NOI does not release membership figures, estimates for total membership in the NOI range from 10,000 to 50,000.”
Government cannot control people without a law to use against them. the entire “second-hand smoke” statistics were debunked a long time ago, but squelched by anyone with an outlet. I’m completely on board with being courteous to those who don’t smoke, but the laws are already to the level of ridiculous. I remember our original pediatrician telling me I had to change clothes before interacting with my kids, these people are outright loony.
For once I’d reclaim my Cherokee and Black Foot heritage and make the rituals 5 times a day.
Gotta keep up with Jones’...erh, Allah worshippers.
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