Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah corrections officials have instituted a smoking ban for minimum security inmates at one state prison, making the entire state prison system smoke-free.
Utah Department of Corrections issued a statement Monday saying the ban took effect Jan. 1 at the Lone Peak unit of the prison in Draper.
Spokesman Steve Gehrke says there have been bans at almost all of Utah's prison facilities for 20 years.
The exception was the Lone Peak minimum-security housing.
Inmates were allowed to smoke outdoors during recreation time.
Gehrke says corrections officials offered inmates smoking cessation programs in advance of the ban.
He says the change was made for safety and security reasons and will cut rusks from open flames and prevents banned materials from moving into other parts of the prison.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
