By Jerry Mitchell
Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting Jan 1, 2021
 (AP Photo/Rogelio Solis, File)
This is a July 12, 2002 file photo of the entrance to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Miss. Rogelio Solis
Mississippi officials are hoping that lifting the ban on smoking inside prison will help curb the huge contraband trade that some inmates estimate may run in the millions.
âBy selling the same cigarettes that are allowed to free people, we are breaking the contraband tobacco trade, designating smoking areas outside, clearing the air inside for the majority of inmates who donât smoke, reducing inmate contraband violations, and recouping for taxpayers some of the dollars it takes to run prisons,â Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain said.
Mississippi prisons to allow smoking, starting in February cdispatch.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cdispatch.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The head of Mississippi's prison system says inmates will be allowed to smoke, starting Feb. 1 a move designed to break the trade in contraband tobacco that's smuggled.
MDOC to allow inmates to use tobacco products in prison
Commissioner Cain said this will be a positive change for inmates and taxpayers Share Updated: 4:42 PM CST Dec 23, 2020
Commissioner Cain said this will be a positive change for inmates and taxpayers Share Updated: 4:42 PM CST Dec 23, 2020 Inmates in Mississippi prisons will soon be allowed to legally buy and use tobacco products in prison facilities for the first time in 10 years. According to MDOC officials, the change will take place Feb. 1. MDOC Commissioner Burl Cain said this will be a positive change, not only for inmates, but also for taxpayers.“Inmates who smoke are smoking anyway,” said the commissioner, “but they’re having to smuggle in tobacco to do it, which is illegal, and it’s even more illegal because state law prohibits smoking in state buildings. That compromises our Corrections officers and staff and puts them at risk to either break the law by allowing the smoking or t