Inmates and Nevada prisons prepare for smoking ban

LAS VEGAS (AP) " Inmates in Nevada's prison system are preparing for life without cigarettes as they prepare for a smoking ban to take effect July 1.

The majority of other states already ban tobacco use in prisons. Nevada is joining them because of health care costs, cleanliness and a 2006 state law that bans smoking indoors.

But inmates won't get aids like gum and patches to help them quit, only instructional DVDs to tell them how to stop.

Prisons spokeswoman Susan Pardee says the department can't control how the products are used, so they're not allowing them.

"I smoke like a choo-choo train," said Royal Wilcox, serving multiple life terms in prison for robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault. "How I'm going to handle it, I don't know."

Wilcox is one of the most vocal advocates for quitting aids for inmates at the Southern Desert Correctional Center, said Cheryl Burson, associate warden of programs.

"He's practically begged for help," she said.

There are no official numbers for the percentage of prisoners who smoke in Nevada.

Prisoners and officials worry that the ban could increase tensions in the jails as inmates quit cold turkey.

"It's going to be wild for a little while," said Brian Williams, warden for the Southern Desert Correctional Center.

But Josh Gelinas, spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Corrections, said that state's system did not see more violence when it banned smoking in January 2008.

"There was some anecdotal complaining, and there were a lot of people talking about riots and fights, but it just never happened," Gelinas said. "What we did see is a sharp increase in contraband tobacco."

A 2008 study said that contributing to black-market tobacco can be attractive to prison guards who are willing to take chances at smuggling cigarettes to inmates for extra money.

Prison officials say guards who violate tobacco policies are likely to lose their jobs.