Smoking in prisons across Europe: where is it allowed?

Thursday, Jan 29, 2026

Il Sole 24 Ore

European ruling sparks debate on balancing public health and personal autonomy regarding smoking bans in prisons.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

A recent European Court of Human Rights ruling has initiated a debate on balancing public health and personal autonomy within prisons, highlighting that an absolute ban on smoking in correctional facilities may violate detainees’ fundamental rights, including the right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

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