THE Department of Correctional Services said on Tuesday it is considering a total ban on smoking in prisons as one way of complying with the government’s proposed tobacco regulations. The draft regulations, issued for comment on December 3, will allow prison authorities to set aside designated smoking areas or rooms in jails. However these rooms will have to have windows that open to the outside, be clearly labelled with a health warning, and may not exceed 25 per cent of the institution’s total floor area. The department’s communications directorate said in response to questions that the draft regulations were fair, and would protect non-smokers from exposure to unhealthy smoke. If it does ban smoking in jails, South Africa will be following the example of Botswana and British Columbia, Canada.