Schwarzenegger bans smoking in prisons

[OGPackin]

The inmates are going to riot...

OG

Schwarzenegger bans smoking in prisons
Decision could save $280 million in related health care costs
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 Posted: 8:19 AM EDT (1219 GMT)


SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who set up a tent outside his smoke-free state office to accommodate his taste for a good cigar, signed a bill Monday barring tobacco from state prisons.

The measure amends the state's penal code to bar tobacco products from prisons and youth correctional facilities. Violators are subject to a fine.

Supporters say the changes will help save the state money on health care and improve the health of 160,000 state inmates. Some parts of California's criminal justice system such as county jails have already banned smoking.

The state generated about $1 million in tobacco taxes and $370,000 in sales taxes by selling tobacco products to inmates last year.

Bill sponsor Tim Leslie, a Republican assemblyman, estimates that about half of California prisoners smoke, costing $280 million in related health care costs.

[DevilsDeity]

wow i know how bitchy and mean i got when i quit smoking

let the shanking's begin

[Maraxus]

Its called prison for a reason, fuk em

[allsaucedup]

he will probably let them smoke cigars still

[hung-solo]

Its called prison for a reason, fuk em

true very true, **** em all

[allsaucedup]

the should make all prisoners smoke weed all the time to calm there asses down

[decadbal]

poor prison ppl, they should get a shovel and a cot.. and maybe food, nothign more

[Rod Farva]

They should ban cable tv in there. Make em read books or at least look at the purty pictures.

[co2boi]

Guess they will have to smoke more poles....hehe

[biglouie250]

"from now on ciggarette breaks will be replaced by finaplix breaks in all kaaalifornia state prisons" -from the desk of the govenator

[Badgerman]

Where they gettin the money for smokes???.....screw 'em

[bermich]

ONE Cigarette in jail 10 years ago went anywhere from 5 -15 dollars.
Actual LA county jail facility: Candy bar sold for 5 dollars
A match to light the cigarette cost 1 dollar.
Sugar cost a dollar.
If you managed to smuggle in weed: One hit cost 5 bucks.

Some guys made a career out of going into the jail for the weekend.
If arrested on a thursday night, you would be sent from the police station to the jail for processing to make room in the station for the weekend crowd.
Usually, if it is just a misdemenor, they let the guy go on Monday as time served.
Well, he knows hes gonna be in LA county for the weekend and they really dont check that well during searches.
So, what the guy will do is: Gets the latex gloves. Fills each finger with a pack of cigareets, maybe some crack, maybe some cronic, maybe some heroin. Gives him a variety of items depending on the crowd he is placed with.

Well come Sunday, everyone is out of all their chips and candy bars and all the cigarettes are gone. Then suddenly, the guy comes up with a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and other crap. 15 dollars per cigarette at 20 a pack= 300 dollars for a pack of cigarettes.
Roughly, the guy leaves LA county jail with about a grand or two in cash. All in a weekend.

LA county doesnt allow cash into the system anymore. All automated accounts scanned in on their wrist bands. Buy a bag of chips, they scan your wrist band and take it off your account.

[Butch]

ONE Cigarette in jail 10 years ago went anywhere from 5 -15 dollars.
Actual LA county jail facility: Candy bar sold for 5 dollars
A match to light the cigarette cost 1 dollar.
Sugar cost a dollar.
If you managed to smuggle in weed: One hit cost 5 bucks.

Some guys made a career out of going into the jail for the weekend.
If arrested on a thursday night, you would be sent from the police station to the jail for processing to make room in the station for the weekend crowd.
Usually, if it is just a misdemenor, they let the guy go on Monday as time served.
Well, he knows hes gonna be in LA county for the weekend and they really dont check that well during searches.
So, what the guy will do is: Gets the latex gloves. Fills each finger with a pack of cigareets, maybe some crack, maybe some cronic, maybe some heroin. Gives him a variety of items depending on the crowd he is placed with.

Well come Sunday, everyone is out of all their chips and candy bars and all the cigarettes are gone. Then suddenly, the guy comes up with a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and other crap. 15 dollars per cigarette at 20 a pack= 300 dollars for a pack of cigarettes.
Roughly, the guy leaves LA county jail with about a grand or two in cash. All in a weekend.

LA county doesnt allow cash into the system anymore. All automated accounts scanned in on their wrist bands. Buy a bag of chips, they scan your wrist band and take it off your account.

This had to be back in the day right? Becasue when I was in there...**** mant hey checked everything but my ass. And I don't see a guy sticking a couple packs of cigs up his ass...lol....i heard of them smuggling drugs in there ass....but not cigs.

The food was expensive in there...I never bought anything...but it was expensive...which is good...we were prisoners...I don't think we diserved the things we were able to get.

I am glad he passed this bill...it will save us a hell of a lot on taxes. I hope he does more to lay the hammer down for them....like someone said above...take there fukin cable away!

[Kärnfysikern]

I never understood why prisoners gets all these luxury that they get. They should be forced to work and those that want to should be able to get a education after the work hours. But cigarets? chips? cabel tv? Wtf
I bet prison is like a vaccation for some people....

[Phillyboy1]

good i hate smoking

[UrbanLegend]

Arnold is aweome. As was already said, he should take their Cable away......

[R.Gotti]

does inmates are going to smoke the big pipe only.

[metallicafan4u69]

Prison gets too easy...but if you take way things like this it can only be for the worst. Think about these guys or ladies getting out and the more fu*ked up they will be or pissed off they are. Want them living next to you on parole day? I say let them. I dont smoke, never have, cant really stand it but be realistic ppl, take the cable, if smoking helps keep nerves being in there let them do it. Besides, they are killing themselves. Maybe it is better that way.

[Kärnfysikern]

but if the sentance is harsh they will think more carefully about beeing put there again. But if they can do what ever the **** they want except go outside of the prison then they wont fear it as much.

or well I have nevber been locked upp so I have no clue real

[Pheedno]

I didn't know this was a new thing. Can't and havn't been able to smoke in Texas prisons for a long time

[metallicafan4u69]

Funny one...smoking is allowed in a Texas prison...only by the guy pulling the power on the electric chair tho.

[bigol'legs]

WTF?!?!?!

Now what are they supposed to smoke with their martini's while watching cable????

[BigMike J]

I been to the penn and all i can say to this is that these inmates must earn their privladges. You don't just go in and have a cable t.v already hooked up. Prisoners have to earn these little luxuries, through working, and just being a model prisoner.

These jobs most of them have are regular 9-5's. You all say lock them up and give them nothing, but then who would maintain the prison? The prisoners do this that is why they get these little things. Sorta like a reward for not being bad.

I say let them smoke.. i bet we gonna see a riot from this. Somebody is going to get killed.

[bigol'legs]

one less tax payer's burden.

[BigMike J]

one less tax payer's burden.

not if it's a guard or a warden

[Soldier of Misfortune]

Prisons should be similar to a medeval dungeon. Cold, drafty, damp, dark stone rooms. Thatll make em think twice about doin something wrong. Theres also way too few moats with alligators or sharks anymore. My house would for dam sure have one if it werent for crappy Illinois weather freezin all the time. If they would wanna tunnel under it get those ground sensors like in Oceans Eleven that can detect a ground hog, then follow the signal till he pops out and greet the bastad with an M60.

[Money Boss Hustla]

I bet prison is like a vaccation for some people....

It is! Compared to some lower incomed sections of larger cities...I'd rather live in prison. 3 meals a day, warm bed, etc.

In Canada our prisons have revolving doors for winter and summer. Go to jail for winter and get out in summer. Just in time to covertly light a forest fire and then get paid $20/hr to help put it out.

[eshestun]

cigs go for 20bucks a pop now days.
let them smoke

[znak]

Prisons are not happy places. Far from being summer camps.

You gotta love america, but some of the wierd shi*t Americans come up with is totally out of hand.

What the fvck are these guys gonna do for the next 50 years?

Dungeons and all that, sheee-it half the people posting here use AAS, which are illegal and could get their butts thrown in jail.

Compasssion, my friends, compassion.

[63190]

So what if they riot and kill each other? It just means less overcrowding.

[spywizard]

Cool............. I like it.....

they should have to grow thier own food too..

give them something to do, and gives them a skill..

[needmorestrength]

Yea im kinda worried about the gaurds health... Someone's got to start enforcing this "no smoking ban" perhaps the health bill will be even more costly when the gaurds try to stop the multitude of inmates from smoking!

[BigGreen]

My biggest concern here is what will 'bitches' and 'fresh fish' get traded for now that there aren't cigarettes in the prison? What kind of new currency will arrive? A new inmate being sold to some guy for six apples just isn't the same.

[imann]

I spent some time in the joint and if you haven't been then you have no fvckin' clue what you are saying, I agree with big mike, all these guys making wise cracks might just end up in the jointfor juice or whatever else......hope you don't get punked....and I dont care how big or tough you think you are.

[radar1234]

I been to the penn and all i can say to this is that these inmates must earn their privladges. You don't just go in and have a cable t.v already hooked up. Prisoners have to earn these little luxuries, through working, and just being a model prisoner.

These jobs most of them have are regular 9-5's. You all say lock them up and give them nothing, but then who would maintain the prison? The prisoners do this that is why they get these little things. Sorta like a reward for not being bad.

I say let them smoke.. i bet we gonna see a riot from this. Somebody is going to get killed.

up here in good ol' british columbia , canada, prisons are hotels.both provincial and federal.14 inch color tvs with remotes and cable have been implemented in most maximum security provincial joints.you can work and earn wages($2-$8 a day).i know thats not much but it gets you canteen and toiletrees every week.i dont know about federal but the provincial sysyem cut out smoking 3 years ago.everybody grumbled but that was about as bad as it got.everybody pretty much " took it dry".i've been there so i know.prison can be an easy place as long as your not a rat,rapist or a mouthy idiot.

dont get me wrong though,prison can be a tough scary place.might is always right and fighting it out is usually the only problem solver.

[jonnytour]

I spent some time in the joint and if you haven't been then you have no fvckin' clue what you are saying, I agree with big mike, all these guys making wise cracks might just end up in the jointfor juice or whatever else......hope you don't get punked....and I dont care how big or tough you think you are.

I was thinking it too. Guys....most if not all of you have used are using or are going to be using an illegal substance(AAS)!!! While I feel that some of the liberties of the prisoners should be taken away, I have never been to jail and therefore have NO IDEA what it is actually like in jail! How can we have an opinion on something we have never experienced?

Personally I feel that smoking should be banned globally!! It is a dirty disgusing, unhealthy habit that infringes on the rights of us non-smokers. Thank GOD that smoking has been banned in restaurants and clubs in several cities here in Canada!! (Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario, in particular)

This is just my humble opinion.

[BigMike J]

Cool............. I like it.....

they should have to grow thier own food too..

give them something to do, and gives them a skill..

Lots of them do grown their own food and slaughter their own cattle, well grown their own cattle anyway.

[BigMike J]

Yea im kinda worried about the gaurds health... Someone's got to start enforcing this "no smoking ban" perhaps the health bill will be even more costly when the gaurds try to stop the multitude of inmates from smoking!

Won't be hard to stop them.. They will just not offer cigs on the commissary anymore.

[BigMike J]

up here in good ol' british columbia , canada, prisons are hotels.both provincial and federal.14 inch color tvs with remotes and cable have been implemented in most maximum security provincial joints.you can work and earn wages($2-$8 a day).i know thats not much but it gets you canteen and toiletrees every week.i dont know about federal but the provincial sysyem cut out smoking 3 years ago.everybody grumbled but that was about as bad as it got.everybody pretty much " took it dry".i've been there so i know.prison can be an easy place as long as your not a rat,rapist or a mouthy idiot.

dont get me wrong though,prison can be a tough scary place.might is always right and fighting it out is usually the only problem solver.

wow 2-8 dollars a day is very generous. I have known inmates who would kill for that ( really kill lol) Down here it's between 5-20 dollars a month and it takes a while to get up to 20. For those lifers who don't have anybody left this is all their money plus whatever hustle they got going for them.

[ChiTownTommy]

Its called prison for a reason, fuk em

Hey come on guys, what about mean i don't want to get fuked