However, there has been little historical research on smoking in British prisons. In part, this is due to the hidden and illicit nature of much of the trade in tobacco in historical prisons as normally smoking was either not permitted or was a privilege to be earned. Also, smoking tobacco did not really become a clear and prominent health issue until the post-war era. This article considers the issue of smoking in English prisons primarily during the interwar years, by which time smoking had become a common and widespread habit among the general male population and, to a lesser extent, amongst women. The article makes use of prisoner autobiographies and archival sources as well as relevant historical and criminological discussion of smoking in prisons. It considers the possibility that by examining the admittedly limited evidence about smoking in prisons during the interwar years, we can gain insights into the tensions around tobacco in confinement as it became a more important aspect of working-class behaviours and therefore also an increased source of contestation between prisoners and prison authorities and indeed between prisoners.
The recent ban on smoking in British prisons and the controversies that ensued have attracted criminological interest.
