The governor of Perth Prison has given his backing to the controversial move to offer vaping kits to inmates.
Fraser Munro said he feels the radical plan, which is part of a series of measures to be rolled out in all Scottish prisons in November, “is needed in this day and age.”
The vaping kits will be introduced at the start of November before the prison smoking ban which will come into effect at the end of the same month.
It has been confirmed the vaping kits will be provided free of charge to inmates for two months and will then be sold at a discounted rate until April. Prisoners will have to pay the normal price for the e-cigarette equipment after that.
Smoking was banned in enclosed public spaces in Scotland in 2006 but the legislation did not include prisons.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) announced plans to make prisons completely smoke-free but the move has attracted criticism in some quarters. However, Mr Munro feels the time has come to ban smoking in prisons.
“The reality is the smoking ban will be introduced in all Scottish prisons in November and we support this legislation,” he said.
“This will mean completely smoke-free prisons.”
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He continued: “The planning of this has taken a long time. A lot of work has gone on including communication and consultation to look at the best ways to introduce this.
“Introducing e-cigarettes is not about appeasement – it is part of a package of measures that are aimed at stopping people smoking so it will be beneficial.
“The Tobacco in Prisons Study, which took place a couple of years ago, identified the impact of second-hand smoke on those that live, work and visit our prisons.
“Following the results of the survey, our chief executive made a commitment to make all Scottish Prisons smoke free by the end of November.
“I believe it is the right thing to do. I appreciate it will cause inconvenience for some inmates but I feel the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
“We have to recognise that some inmates have significant addiction issues. The intention is that we will offer – as part of a package of things – measures to stop smoking.
“These will include cessation groups and nicotine replacement therapy.”
Tobacco and tobacco-related products will become a prohibited article in any Scottish prison from November 30, making it will be a criminal offence to introduce tobacco into a prison.
