Smoking Bans in Prison Tied to Lower Death Rate

A new U.S. study reveals that smoking bans in prions is linked to significant reduction in deaths from smoking related causes.

The study documented in The BMJ British Medical Journal reveals that prison smoking-bans were correlated to fall in deaths from smoking-related causes like heart disease and cancer. The long-term smoking bans in state prison led to a drop in the mortality rate by 11 percent.

According to the study report, at the end of 2011 - in the U.S. - there were 1.4 million people in the state prisons; out of which 50-83 percent used to smoke, which is higher than the smoking rate of the general population outside the prison.

Strict smoking and tobacco bans have been implemented in the U.S. prisons. But, till date the effect of smoking on mortality and the health benefits associated with these policies have not been evaluated.

A team of researchers determined whether complete ban on smoking in prison was tied to drop in smoking-related deaths. For this, they analyzed surveys of inmates in state correctional facilities, data retrieved from the state prison tobacco policies and deaths in prisons across the U.S.

They found that 360 per 100,000 prisoners died due to smoking-related causes. This was tied to 5,159 years of potential life lost per 100,000 years. This is higher than the rates in U.S. population i.e. 248 and 3,501 per 100,000, respectively.

The number of states implementing smoking-ban increased from 25 in 2001 to 48 by 2011. During the years of ban, smoking-caused mortality rate was lower. Bans in place for longer than nine years were linked with nearly 11 percent drop in all smoking-related deaths, a 19 percent reduction in cancer deaths, and a 34 percent reduction in pulmonary deaths as compared with places with no ban.

"These findings suggest that smoking bans have health benefits for people in prison, although bans impose limits on individual autonomy and many people resume smoking after release," they conclude.