McCracken County News Releases

Jailer Cliff Gill expects some protests on Monday when deputy jailers remove any remaining tobacco products.

By Bill Bartleman bbartleman@paducahsun.com--270.575.8651

Friday, May 13, 2005

The McCracken County Regional Jail began the first phase of its no-smoking policy today, and will have it fully in place by Monday, according to Jailer Cliff Gill.

Cigarettes were taken from those booked into the jail after midnight Thursday. In the past, they were allowed to keep their cigarettes and take them to their cells. "We're not letting them take the cigarettes to the back, because if we do, that's more that we'll have to confiscate next week," Gill said.

Cigarettes won't be taken away from other prisoners until Monday morning. Gill expects some protests and possible trouble on Monday when deputy jailers search cells and remove any remaining tobacco products. He estimated that more than half of the 418 inmates smoke.

The ban on smoking was implemented because of a federal ruling that it is illegal to expose inmates to second-hand smoke, Gill said. "You and I have a choice of whether we want to go into a place where people smoke, but the inmates don't have that choice," Gill said. He said the jail is too small to separate smokers and nonsmokers.

Also, Gill said it will make the jail safer because inmates won't be allowed to have matches.

Gill said workers on the midnight shift will remain Monday morning to help in the search for tobacco products and deal with any protesting inmates. He said the workers will search the inmates, their personal belongings and cells and confiscate any tobacco products.

"Some inmates have already made veiled threats that there's going to be a big riot," Gill said. "I don't think there will be, but some of them might try to stage a little demonstration, which they do every time we change a policy."

Gill said he's alerted police agencies of possible trouble, but hasn't asked for help in conducting the search. "I think we can handle this ourselves, but we'll call for help if we need it," Gill said.

The no-smoking policy also includes prisoners who participate in work release programs. "If any of them are seen smoking while working outside the jail, they will be immediately returned to the jail and removed from the program," Gill said.

Gill said he doubts they will find all of the cigarettes on the first search because inmates will find places to hide them. Any prisoner caught with tobacco products after Monday could be charged with promoting contraband.

Gill said employees caught giving or selling any tobacco products to inmates will be fired. Jailer workers will be restricted to smoking outside and a few locations inside the jail where there are no prisoners.

Monday also is the day that McCracken County will begin housing prisoners from Livingston County, which is closing its small jail because of new regulations that will take effect this summer.

Gill said Livingston currently has seven inmates, but averages 10 to 12 a day. While the McCracken jail already is overcrowded, "another nine or 10 won't make any difference," Gill said.

He said Livingston County will pay McCracken County $26 a day for housing inmates, who will have to live under the same policies and rules as McCracken County prisoners.