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“There’s very little to do in jail. Non-smokers become smokers. Tobacco is a currency and a scourge - especially when cigarettes are horrendously expensive,” he said.
Smith warned tobacco prices often exceeded what inmates could earn in a week, leading to coercion, bullying and debts.
“Officers are forced to make an impossible choice: let prisoners burn or risk their own lives.”
WA Prison Officers’ Union secretary Andy Smith“You see prisoners pressuring family and friends for cash. You see younger or more vulnerable prisoners being targeted,” he said.
Despite designated outdoor smoking areas, officers say smoking inside cells and wings was commonplace.
“Prison officers are forced to walk through clouds of smoke every day – it’s shocking,” Smith said.
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He added chronic overcrowding in WA’s male prisons was a key factor behind the department’s reluctance to act.
“We’ve got three prisoners in a cell built for one. We’re 1200 officers short,” Smith said.
“Seventeen staff are leaving every month – that’s almost triple the usual attrition rate.
The department is scared to ban smoking because they can’t afford to lose even one cell if there’s a riot or fire. It’s terrifying.”
Smith also warned officers were ill-equipped to deal with fires, lacking proper training and gear.
“We’re the first responders. There are no fire suppression systems in the cells. We’ve got masks with tiny filters – that’s it. Officers are forced to make an impossible choice: let prisoners burn or risk their own lives.”
A 2021 report by Custodial Services Inspector Eamon Ryan found 82 per cent of WA prisoners smoked, compared to 11 per cent of the general population.
Justice department data to August 4 reported 79.9 per cent of male prisoners were smokers.
The inspector’s report also revealed tobacco sales inside WA prisons exceeded $10 million in 2020 – a figure Ryan said was likely to have risen due to price increases.
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Ryan told this masthead the health and safety benefits of a smoking ban “far outweigh the risks.”
“While there are challenges, [the Justice Department] can’t keep putting it off,” he said.
A Department of Justice spokesperson said the department acknowledged the coroner’s findings and was “giving due consideration to his recommendations”.
“The department is committed to a staged, cautious and considered transition to a smoke-free male custodial estate that maintains the safety and good order of each prison and upholds community confidence,” they said.
“This is a significant project that requires careful planning and appropriate supports put in place for the health and wellbeing of prisoners and staff.”
The spokesperson said the department was taking lessons from the rollout of smoke-free policies across women’s prisons in 2023 and 2024.
The installation of a fire suppression system at Hakea Prison was also a priority within the department’s Strategic Justice Asset Plan.
The spokesperson also said all custodial officers received mandatory fire response training, with an annual refresher course in the works.
“The department is also increasing the type and frequency of drill and equipment inspections for breathing apparatus operators,” they said.
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