E-cig trial leads to improved behaviour at prison

A trial of electronic cigarettes at the Isle of Man Prison led to improved behaviour and more prisoners seeking stop smoking support.

The Prison and Probation Service and Public Health Directorate ran a six-month trial last year, allowing prisoners to use e-cigs devices instead of traditional nicotine replacement patches, which had previously been supplied.

The prison at Jurby, which was the first in Europe to ban smoking in 2008, saw a 58% drop in behaviour warnings and a 42% fall in offender adjudications.

It's also estimated that the trial showed the prison could save around £8,500 in the cost of nicotine replacement therapy annually.

After smoking was banned, prisoners devised ways to smoke tea bags, banana skins and other items mixed with nicotine soaked from patches.

The prison plans to continue to allow the use of e-cigs for the foreseeable future, but more will be done to monitor the possession of the devices.