Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:38a.m.
By Philip Patston
Remember when Wayne Mapp was National's “Political Correctness Eradicator”?
Dr Mapp told the Herald in Oct 2005, "the political correctness he was most concerned about was "where it had been built into government by way of legislation or advocacy." National "created the menacing-sounding role of political correctness eradicator to counter the Government's 'PC culture that it says is eroding New Zealanders' rights and freedoms," the paper reported.
I remember lots of talk about "PC gone mad. " I went a little mad myself and released this statement in response.
So, five years on, banning smoking in prisons wouldn't be National gone mad, would it?
I mean sure, Judith Collins, "smoking in our prisons poses a serious health risk to staff and prisoners," but I'd say that just "being" there poses a pretty serious risk. I think whether you're doing time or your job, you know that prisons aren't going to be a health spa.
And, as for lighters and matches being used to make weapons? If that was such an issue, wouldn't they have been banned anyway and prisoners made to get a light from staff?
I liked how Celia Lashlie put it: society punishes prisoners by removing freedoms and liberties – why punish them more by making them stop using a legally sanctioned substance?
Any thoughts that prisoners will be magically cured from nicotine addiction are uninformed. As I said on my Facebook page, "Addiction 101: addicts have to want to give shit up."
Of course, this is all being driven from the OSH agenda for staff and an obvious threat of complaints about working in smoke-filled environments. Fair enough, not cool, but surely banning smoking outright is a complete over-reaction. Ban it inside and avoid a riot.
As I said in an earlier blog, ridding the substance won't rid the cause, but addressing the cause might rid the need. Smokers use nicotine to escape stress, anxiety, unhappiness and low self-esteem.
But then, there's none of those in prisons, is there?