Smoking indoors will be prohibited in all prisons in Finland as from 4 September 2023

Smok­ing in­doors will be banned in all pris­ons as from 4 Sep­tem­ber 2023. In ad­di­tion, the pos­ses­sion of to­bacco prod­ucts will be pro­hib­ited in closed pris­ons. The re­form means that pris­on­ers and re­mand pris­on­ers can smoke only dur­ing their out­door ex­er­cise.

The prohibitions apply to both regular cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. All tobacco products will be stored in separate facilities in prison and are given to the prisoners when their outdoor exercise begins. In closed prisons, smoking is possible during outdoor exercise.

— The smoking ban is a huge change for the prisoners and won’t be taken kindly to by everyone. According to our estimates, about 80 per cent of our prisoners smoke so prohibiting smoking indoors requires a lot from the prison staff, too, as they have to learn new practices regarding, among other things, the storage of tobacco products, the arrangement of outdoor exercise and the support offered to prisoners. All in all, it is quite a big jigsaw puzzle, says Head of Unit Pekka Keskinen.

Due to the smoking prohibition, prisons have been allocated a total of 40 person-years of additional resources to organise smoking control and support for withdrawal from smoking.

Prisoners are offered support to cut down and quit smoking

As the smoking prohibition enters into force, the Prison and Probation Service of Finland offers prisoners, who want them, nicotine replacement products for possible withdrawal symptoms. The aim of giving nicotine patches is to support prisoners to quit smoking. Prisoners may receive replacement products for two months, which is based on the Finnish current care guidelines. Prisoners can also buy nicotine replacement products in the prison canteen.

All prisons and the Health Care Services for Prisoners offer prisoners social support to quit smoking. The support can be arranged individually or in groups.

Cutting down smoking has positive effects on the health of prisoners who smoke. In addition, banning smoking indoors decreases the harmful effects of tobacco smoke on the health of other people in prison.

— Prisons have probably been the last workplaces in Finland where the staff members have been exposed to tobacco smoke against their will. The purpose of the smoking ban is to protect all people in prison from the health hazards caused by tobacco smoke – both the prisoners and the staff of the Prison and Probation Service, Keskinen says.

Further information:

Head of Unit Pekka Keskinen, pekka.k.keskinen@om.fi, tel. +358 50 511 0091
Senior Specialist Ari Juuti, ari.juuti@om.fi, tel. +358 50 552 1900