Prerelease intent predicts smoking behavior postrelease following a prison smoking ban

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Criminology

Background:

• Over 2 million individuals are incarcerated in the U.S., predominantly young minority men with high rates of smoking and health issues.
• Mandatory prison smoking bans are increasingly implemented, but their long-term impact on smoking behavior post-release is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the determinants of smoking behavior among incarcerated men following the implementation of a statewide smoking ban in Wisconsin prisons.
• To examine whether mandated health behavior changes can be maintained after release into the community.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 49 incarcerated men nearing release were interviewed one month prior to and one month after release.
• Data were collected through in-person and telephone interviews, followed by descriptive analyses and multivariate modeling to identify predictors of post-release smoking.

Main Results:

• Participants, with a mean age of 36.7 years, had smoked for an average of 14.5 years. A majority (67%) reported improved health post-ban.
• Intent to smoke upon release strongly predicted smoking relapse (p = .001). White race (p = .045) and perceived better health post-ban (p = .01) were also associated with post-release smoking status.

Conclusions:

• Pre-release intention to smoke is a significant predictor of post-release smoking behavior.
• Belief in improved health due to the prison smoking ban correlated with sustained nonsmoking.
• Targeted relapse prevention interventions are crucial for individuals reentering the community after incarceration.