Non smoker cells are pure white cells

A brilliant prison psychologist told me the following story. In the Central Prison of Budapest there is a so called drug prevention unit which operates like a drug free unit: inmates here have drug user past, they agree that they wont use any drugs within the prison and therefore they can enjoy some privileges like home leaves more frequently or a more friendly environment where the can listen to music or they are allowed to play psp.

Smoking is not permitted in the common areas of the Hungarian prisons, prisoners are only entitled to smoke in their cells. All can smoke in the cells in exception those who want to live in a smoke free cell. All the inmates have to make an open and written statement that they don't smoke. However they can possess tobacco and cigarettes in the prison canteen. This implies that they smoke.

The non smoking cell in the drug prevention unit is only a cover story to segregate themselves from the Romani inmates. Only white guys stated that they didn't smoke. So they could create a pure white cell which is a racial segregation allowed by the law but a misusing interpreting of the letters and words of the law.

Romani inmates who are in majority in Hungarian prison population did not like this self segregation. One day they gathered and agreed on a secret mission. They took some sharp items and engraved their gang sign V.L (Vatos Locos) between the index finger and the thumb on their hands. Next day in the morning the took some legs of tables from the community room and they invaded the non smoking cell and severely beat up the white guys in it. It was a bloody fight with dramatic injuries. Prison management wanted to hear the opinion of the psychologist.

She said that she was not in favor to create non smoking cells as a hidden white segregation. Now non smokers have to be real non smokers: no tobacco allowed in their cells and they can not buy any smoker item in the canteen.