Yes, Cook County (Chicago and half the suburbs), Illinois will have a smoke free jail soon. The infamous Cook County Jail, the Rikers Island of the Heartland, will go smoke free beginning August 1.
Cook County isn't all bad, this legendary album, BB King Live in Cook County Jail, was recorded there in the late 1960s
From NBC 5 Chicago:
Official: Health Concerns Outweigh Possible Confrontations
CHICAGO -- Sheriff Michael Sheahan says the Cook County Jail will become smoke-free before the end of the summer.
Sheahan said the health benefits of having a smoke-free jail outweigh a potential black market for cigarettes and possible confrontations between jail guards and inmates.
A Cook County sheriff's spokesman said about 10,000 inmates are smokers.
Beginning June 15, inmates will be limited to purchasing five packs of cigarettes a week. On July 1 that number will drop to three a week, and on July 15, inmates will only be able to buy only one pack a week.
On Aug. 1, the jail will become smoke-free.
The jail plans to offer counseling for inmates who experience nicotine withdrawal, but inmates will not be given nicotine patches or gum.
The inmates will be quite ornery without their cigs. How 'bout counseling for the guards?
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