THE State Government will support Cancer Council SA’s call to ban smoking in South Australian prisons by 2020.
Cancer Council SA chief executive Lincoln Size commended the government for supporting the initiative and urged all parties to follow suit.
“Smoking rates in South Australian prisons are some of the highest across the country, with 83pc of prisoners identifying as smokers,” Mr Size said.
“Smoking in prisons puts prisoners, visitors and staff in danger of exposure to second-hand smoke and make it difficult for existing smokers to quit.”
Implementing a smoking ban in South Australian prisons was one of nine election priorities Cancer Council SA announced earlier this year.
“We will work with all political parties and candidates to secure support for these initiatives, which we believe will have a life-changing impact on South Australians and support our ultimate goal of a cancer free future for all,” Mr Size said.
The State Government has tasked a steering committee with fully planning and executing a policy to implement smoke-free status across all prison sites by the end of 2019.
The steering committee will comprise representatives from Corrections, Drug and Alcohol Services SA, Treasury and SA Prison Health Services.
Correctional Services Minister Chris Picton said it was critical to establish the steering committee in order to carefully plan a smooth transition process.
“We’ve taken an important step to improve the health and safety of both prisoners and staff who work in prison environments,” Mr Picton said.
“Our focus will be to work closely with staff on the ground to make sure that each individual site has a localised plan in place that is appropriate for its own needs.”
