Victorian Prison Smoking Ban Sparks Riot

A prison riot in the Metropolitan Remand Centre in Ravenhall on Tuesday was said to be caused by a state-wide prison smoking ban set to be enacted the next day. About 300 prisoners were involved in the uprising, which began at around noon that day.

The masked inmates carried makeshift weapons used to smash doors, windows and walls. Some facilities and equipment were also set on fire. Police officers in their riot gears were seen entering the facility to contain the commotion and capture the prisoners. The stand-down lasted about 15 hours.

An estimated 200 prison staff were evacuated from the remand centre. As an added precaution, all state prisons were put into lockdown to prevent other mutinies from taking place.

Prison smoking bans are already implemented in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Tasmania. New South Wales is slated to follow. However, according to Australian Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis, his facility won’t implement the ban at the moment.

In an interview with a radio station in Perth, the minister said the riot reinforced his decision to implement a full smoking ban in his state’s prison. Without the smoking ban, inmates are allowed to smoke in designated areas.

As a former smoker, he sympathised with the prisoners on how smoking was a hard habit to kick. He added how many prisoners ever since incarceration had to quit drugs and alcohol abruptly. Many are also dealing with psychological issues.

His instincts told him that “banning smoking in prisons is a bridge too far for many people” and that “prisoners are sent to prison as punishment not for punishment.”

Australia is the first country to adapt plain packaging for cigarettes. This legislation enacted in 2012 refers to the standardisation of all cigarette packages, which involves the removal of distinct markings, logos and replacing them with health warnings or any other legally authorised information. Brand names can be included in the packet provided it followed the required size, font at location. Similar laws are being introduced in Europe starting with United Kingdom and Ireland.

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