Smoking could be banned in British jails British jails could be smoke free next year if a trial ban forcing inmates to quit is successful. PRISONERS in British jails could soon be banned from smoking. The Ministry of Justice is planning a pilot scheme which will monitor how inmates react to the move, but sites have not yet been chosen. "We are considering banning smoking across the prison estate and as part of this are looking at possible sites as early adopters," a ministry spokesman said. The pilot scheme is expected to launch in the northern spring of next year and, if successful, the ban would be rolled out across all prisons within 12 months, The Times newspaper has reported. There are fears the ban could cause disruption in prisons, with around 80 per cent of inmates in England and Wales believed to be smokers, according to the NHS. Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, says introducing the ban would be difficult but smoke-free jails would be welcome news for its members. "It could cause disturbances but they have done it successfully in Canada and in young offender institutions in England and Wales," he said. Mr Gillan said that without a smoking ban the Prison Service risked legal action from a non-smoker claiming to suffer from the effects of passive smoking.