Cigarette smoking bans in county jails--Wisconsin, 1991

In the United States, an increasing number of prisons and jails are adopting restrictions on cigarette smoking (1,2); these restrictions could affect approximately 10 million inmates (3). Although the importance of smoking restrictions in the workplace and some public places (e.g., health-care facilities, schools, and public transportation) has been well described (4), information about smoking restrictions in jails is limited. This report summarizes preliminary findings from a survey of sheriffs in Wisconsin to assess the development of policies and to characterize smoking restrictions among county jails in the state.