By Ivana Hrynkiw
al.com
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Are Newports the problem with Alabama’s notoriously overcrowded and violent prison system?
Many people don’t think so, and were surprised when Alabama prisons announced a move to ban tobacco earlier this month.
“It’s really baffling that with all the documented problems in Alabama facilities that this is the thing that Alabama DOC chooses to prioritize right now,” said A’Niya Robinson, the policy and organizing director at the ACLU of Alabama.
The prisons presented the tobacco ban as a move to promote health and safety. Others saw it as a non-issue in a system that’s soon facing a federal trial over unconstitutional conditions.
Rep. Chris England, D- Tuscaloosa, who has worked for years to address problems in the prison system, called the move “tone-deaf.” He listed a slew of documented issues, including lack of air conditioning, lack of access to medical care, missing organs from prison cadavers and a billion-dollar prison that is behind schedule.
“The Department of Justice says we are the worst prison system in the world, and at least we don’t have cigarettes?” England said. “I’m glad we are focused on the big stuff.”
The Alabama Department of Corrections announced a “tobacco free initiative” earlier this month for both workers and inmates. The press release touted health and safety benefits from the new ban, “including the reduction of secondhand smoke exposure, the improvement of respiratory health, and a decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease.” There’s also operational benefits like working conditions, reduction in medical costs, and reduced fire hazards, said the release.
The ban will be rolled out in phases, with Elmore, Frank Lee, Kilby and Staton prisons being the first to stop selling tobacco products on September 1 . Those canteens will sell NicoDerm patches and Zyn pouches to help inmates quit. After Oct. 1, the department said in a press release, all tobacco products will be considered contraband.
The department is also training “psychological associates” to help inmates with quitting.
“Anyone who understands prisons can predict what happens next,” said Lauren Faraino, a lawyer who works on Alabama prison issues, “tobacco does not disappear simply because ADOC declares it contraband. Its price goes up, an illicit market develops, and the people controlling that market gain another source of power.”
Faraino said she couldn’t see why tobacco was the health emergency confronting prison officials instead of fentanyl, when overdoses are a common sight in the lockups.
“If ADOC were genuinely concerned about the health and safety of incarcerated people, it would ensure that every housing unit has immediate access to Narcan, that officers are trained and prepared to respond to an overdose, and that people suffering medical emergencies receive timely care,” she said.
In the first three months of 2026, prison officials documented 721 drug-related contraband items. The total weight of those drugs was 19,383.65 grams.
Dozens of those with loved ones locked up in Alabama’s prison system called out the ban, saying the department should focus on getting illegal drugs out of the facilities before worrying about cigarettes. Others worry the move could increase violence. Most agree their loved ones won’t be able to access or afford any of the tobacco cessation products.
One woman told AL.com in a social media message, “First of all the smoking ban would contribute to more extortion, more violence etc. You would think that ADOC health concerns would focus on the rat population, roach infestations, scabies, etc… As far as healthcare, why not focus on a decent diet, cleaning and disinfectant supplies.”
Robinson, of the ACLU, said she had never seen concerns about tobacco usage cross her desk amid the plague of prison problems.
The issue hasn’t come up in recent prison meetings, either. And a group of people with loved ones in lockups, many of whom spoke at the legislature’s Joint Prison Oversight Committee last month, said tobacco was never a concern.
The department said in response to questions on the ban that several of its facilities are already smoke-free, including four community-based facilities and the facility that houses the sickest of prisoners. The plan for going tobacco-free has been in the works for years, said a prison spokesperson.
NicoDerm nicotine patches will be sold at prison canteens for $51.29 for a 14 patch-pack. ZYN and Rogue nicotine pouches will be available for about $8.
The prison system is also working on a “limited pilot program” at several prisons for a “correctional-specific electronic cigarette” that will cost $10.50. It’s not available yet, and a spokesperson said the pilot “will allow the department to evaluate its use as a controlled nicotine alternative during the transition to tobacco-free facilities, including its potential impact on demand for contraband tobacco.”
A former corrections officer at Limestone Correctional Facility, Stacy George, said implementing the ban will cause chaos and be tough to enforce. There will be violence at first, he said, and it will lead to people throwing cigarettes along with the drugs they toss over the fences.
There are plenty of issues that the Department of Corrections could fix, he said. This one isn’t high on the list.
England agreed that the move won’t do much for officers. “For the people who are incarcerated in prisons that are unconstitutionally inhumane and abusive, and for the correctional officers that work in facilities with no air conditioning and are also subject to the same conditions, I’m sure they’re glad the prison is smoke free.”
Faraino added, “There is something deeply perverse about a prison system that cannot reliably keep deadly drugs out or keep people inside alive when they overdose, congratulating itself for taking away cigarettes.”
Could banning tobacco create new contraband or security challenges inside correctional facilities? Why or why not?
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