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Florida Prisons Proposal Reins In Tobacco Privileges

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 24, 2008

Updated: 04/24/2008 03:21 pm

TAMPA - Florida's death row inmates would be limited to two packages of tobacco products per week under a proposal made by the state Department of Corrections.

They would not be allowed to keep cigarette lighters, either. Instead, they would have to rely on lighting devices available at their prison's recreation yard.

Death row inmates at Union Correctional Institution would be allowed to buy cigarettes or smokeless tobacco. Death row inmates at Lowell Correctional Institution and the Florida State Prison only would be allowed to have smokeless tobacco products.

Many other prison inmates placed in a heightened level of security because of their behavior would not be allowed to have tobacco products or lighters.

Limiting tobacco use would increase the overall health of inmates and prison employees and reduce the cost of having inmates, corrections department spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said.

The department's main reason to cut down on cigarette use is to reduce contraband within prisons.

Something valuable like cigarettes could be traded for knives or other homemade weapons, Plessinger said.

It's clear that some inmates will be upset by the proposal, but it's still in the best interest of prisons to cut down on cigarettes, she said.

"Obviously security is our most important thing," she said. "And I think that our staff believes that this is going to protect and be better for the institutions securitywise."

The cigarette reduction proposal originally came from George Sapp, the department's assistant secretary of institutions.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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