Royaume-Uni : Supreme court to consider appeal to enforce smoking ban in jails

Prisoner says rules on smoking in communal areas are not being upheld, exposing him to dangerous levels of secondhand smoke.
The remaining rights of prisoners to smoke inside their cells are to be challenged at the supreme court in a case which, if successful, could inflame discipline problems in prisons.

The appeal has been brought by Paul Black, a prisoner at HMP Wymott, on the basis of fresh evidence from a Ministry of Justice medical report on air quality behind bars which warns that “secondhand smoke harms everyone”.

Black, who has heart problems, lost his claim at the court of appeal in March 2016. Government lawyers argued at the time that a blanket ban on smoking in public-sector prisons could cause discipline problems and risk the safety of staff and prisoners. The judges ruled that state, as opposed to private, prisons enjoyed crown immunity from the health regulations.

The remaining rights of prisoners to smoke inside their cells are to be challenged at the supreme court in a case which, if successful, could inflame discipline problems in prisons.

The appeal has been brought by Paul Black, a prisoner at HMP Wymott, on the basis of fresh evidence from a Ministry of Justice medical report on air quality behind bars which warns that “secondhand smoke harms everyone”.

Black, who has heart problems, lost his claim at the court of appeal in March 2016. Government lawyers argued at the time that a blanket ban on smoking in public-sector prisons could cause discipline problems and risk the safety of staff and prisoners. The judges ruled that state, as opposed to private, prisons enjoyed crown immunity from the health regulations.

Read full article.