4 December 2008

Human Rights Prison??

| sunshine
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With the imminent opening of Australia’s first prison based on human rights philosophy, it makes me wonder how they can implement a blanket rule that prisoner’s cannot smoke!

Doesn’t this breach their human rights by taking away their choice to smoke or not.

Cigarettes in prison have also been used for many years as a management tool – if the ACT goes ahead with this imposed ‘no smoking zone’ the ACT should be in for a lot of fun when the prisoners riot.

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So let them have the patch. I am all for that.

Hmmm… not a very large sample or conclusive results from the abstract that I read – coupled with the next abstract (Effects of Acute Tryptophan Depletion on Negative Symptoms and Smoking Topography in Nicotine-Dependent Schizophrenics and Nonpsychiatric Controls) implied that the intensified smoking caused by acute tryptophan depletion (ie, you ain’t getting much sleep) caused other problems such as reduced serotonin levels – not good.

So, even if the people with mental illnesses are getting a brief lift or reprieve from their symptoms, they are paying for it in other, worse ways. Surely not to be encouraged?

staria said :

might also be of interest to know that a high rate of people with mental illnesses smoke because it has been proven that nicotine helps to suppress some of the symptoms that trouble them.

I’d like to see the studies which prove that.

a start
Neuropsychopharmacology (2007) 32, 2020–2024; doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1301317; published online 17 January 2007

Nicotine Dependence, Symptoms and Oxidative Stress in Male Patients with Schizophrenia

might also be of interest to know that a high rate of people with mental illnesses smoke because it has been proven that nicotine helps to suppress some of the symptoms that trouble them.

I’d like to see the studies which prove that.

no.i actually don’t smoke and i have no intention of ‘staying’ in the prison – but yes if i have an interest in human rights etc..then maybe i do have a hidden agenda.

might also be of interest to know that a high rate of people with mental illnesses smoke because it has been proven that nicotine helps to suppress some of the symptoms that trouble them.

would be easier to say everyone should give up (yes smoking is bad for your health) but in reality it’s not going to happen.

shiny flu -you could also then say that health dollars are also wasted on treating people with another legal preoccupation – it’s called alcohol.

Like all smokers should do, if they really love their cancer sticks so much, why not exhale what the rest of us would normally have to breathe in into a plastic bag and inhale the smoke again and again and again and again till logic gets the better of them or they simply die? The latter option being the better since so many Health dollars are wasted treating people who somehow are unable to cognitively understand that smoking=death/sickness despite all the education and nice little photos on the packaging.

Hidden agenda Sun’where-the-sun-don’t’shine? Planning on a nice little stay in the lock-up or just wasting our time with your EPIC FAIL. Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhh

p1 said :

Maybe we could save money on the prison if we don’t lock anyone up, but stop them drinking, smoking, copulating, or anything else they like doing (since to stop people doing things that they like doing is why we started the concept of prisons in the first place).

Not that Canberra ever locks up its crims…

Ha Ha

Maybe it’ll be just like Yes Minister but instead of havingthe perfectly run hospital because it had no patients, this will be the prison with no prisoners.

Heh, I’m holding out for the day they completely ban smoking at my work… Having to choke down that stuff on my way in and out everyday, not to mention not being able to be involved in all those important “meetings” that happen down there – it can’t happen too soon in my book! So, bring it on for the prison and everywhere else!

11th Commandment – Thou Shall have right to have ciggies!

as far as i’m aware – that’s a big fat NO

Pommy bastard5:32 pm 04 Dec 08

I’m assuming that the staff would have known about this as part of their terms of employment?

yes at present there are allocated smoking areas for allocated times during the day only.however the intention is to ban smoking all together as it is a government building.
this would not only affect the prisoners but also the staff who would not be able to smoke on shift or even during breaks as they aren’t allowed to leave the area in case of trouble.

Maybe we could save money on the prison if we don’t lock anyone up, but stop them drinking, smoking, copulating, or anything else they like doing (since to stop people doing things that they like doing is why we started the concept of prisons in the first place).

Not that Canberra ever locks up its crims…

Removal of some human rights is what the ‘punishment’ or ‘retribution’ part of jailing someone is all about.

The only questions is, which rights to remove? And what is the upside and downside for the rest of us later on when they are released?

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:11 pm 04 Dec 08

Boohoo – the more we erode the rights of dirty stinky smokers, the better.

Pommy bastard3:47 pm 04 Dec 08

Smoking is not “a right’.

Meh, since I A – Don’t smoke, and B – Don’t plan on doing anything that could get me some free accommodation in the place, to me it’s a non-event.

But let’s face it. Even if they did make the place smoke free, it’s not like smokes wouldn’t make it into the place.

A mate of mine is a corrections officer, and he has told me about all sort of ways that people manage to get things in to prisons. It’s amazing how many orifices the human body actually has, I’m sure some of them are quite painful to use, but a determined prisoner will happily use them.

If they did riot then more people may search ‘riot + ACT’ on the interwebs and RiotACT will get more hits…

Kizzle said :

Gotdam I bet.. Ima gonna kill you if I dont get a cigarette.

Fixed!

;-D

Gotdam I bet.. Ima die if I dont get a cigarette.

How can it be a human rights issue? We also stop our prisoners from going anywhere but the prison, presumably they can’t open the fridge and have beer, so why would smoking be any different?

stereo henry8:59 am 04 Dec 08

put that in your pipe and smoke it 🙂

stereo henry8:58 am 04 Dec 08

I’ve been through the facility and, yes, you can smoke there. I’ve even seen areas outside residences which are designated smoking areas…. however, i still reckon anyone stupid enough to smoke should have a non-smoking policy forced upon them

Ummmm – do you have a link for this claim, Sunshine?

I understood that there would be areas outside where inmates can smoke. Obviously this creates a limit as they can’t just pop outside for a smoke whenever they like.

They shouldn’t smoke inside because of the health impacts on others.

Damn, not good, I always enjoy a ciggie with my heroin

Ha Ha. Quick, someone call a whambulance.

Poor darlings.

I guess they’ll have to make do with the heroin, tatoo machine and LCD TVs to pass the time.

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