A snapshot of the health of prisoners has shown a surprising success story, with rates of smoking declining in prisons that have implemented tobacco bans.
The smoking bans sparked concerns they would fuel a black market boom or riots. However, a report into prisoners' health by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found they have led to a decline in smoking rates.
Almost three quarters of prisoners who enter prison are smokers.
In prisons that haven't banned smoking the number of prisoners who report they intend to light up on release stays steady at 73 per cent.
In prisons that have bans in place the number of prisoners that plan to smoke on release drops to 59 per cent.
The bans were adopted by three states this year, following implementation in the Northern Territory and Queensland.
South Australia will trial the bans in March 2016 and the ACT has indicated it will also move to the smoke-free model.
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