ABU DHABI // Smoking is to be banned throughout the correction and rehabilitation units at Al Wathba Prison. The Ministry of Interior said in a statement yesterday that the prison's directorate of correction and rehabilitation centres planned to make all its wards smoke-free to "set an example for the outside world to stop smoking". Under the initiative, a prisoner will be "compelled" to stop smoking over the period he or she spends in jail, the statement said.
The plan, conceived as part of the directorate's observance of World No Tobacco Day on May 31, will not take effect immediately, but will be implemented over a period that was not specified by the ministry. Brig Yousef Abdul Karem, the head of the directorate, said in the statement that there were also awards available for inmates "as appreciation for their commitment to stop smoking". "The corrections and rehabilitation directorate is working hard to help inmates to stop smoking," he said. "They are a fertile ground for growing effective and productive social energy in the country."
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