H&S: VAPE PEN

Jackie Marshall NEC reports on the new vape pen

Since smoking in prisons has been stopped, prisoners have been using vapes.

The Vape 88 pen, which has been sold to prisoners for a considerable length of time, is continually being manipulated by prisoners to smoke elicit substances or start fires using the wire and cotton coil that is easily accessible.

Prisoners are reversing the airflow by blowing through the battery compartment.

Approximately 85 per cent of the average 2,000 fires in prisons per year are started using the Vape 88. Any type of fire, whether it be a cell fire or a communal area fire, endangers the health and life of both staff and prisoners.

The HMPPS National Fire Safety Team has been working with the current supplier, Supreme, to design a vape pen with built-in safety features, which is bespoke to the prison system.

THE CORE OBJECTIVES OF THE NEW ‘MOJA’ SAFER VAPE ARE TO:

• Prevent the user from modifying the device to create a source of fire ignition
• Prevent a delivery mechanism for illicit substances.

FEATURES OF THE NEW VAPE

• Automatic vape system designed to prevent deliberate misuse of overheating the coil by removing the manual power control
• Intelligent chip technology to regulate coil temperature and automatically disable coil function once the pods of e-liquid are empty, preventing coil overheating and risk of fire ignition
• Wireless battery cell, welded directly to the circuit board to prevent rewiring, bypassing the main circuit board designed to break upon forced entry onto the casing, rendering the device unusable
• Tamper-resistant design, both pod shell and atomiser housing to guard the heating coil element
• Vapour reduction, e-liquid formulation adjusted to reduce vapour production aerosol and minimise the risk of triggering smoke detectors.

HOW IS THE NEW VAPE DIFFERENT FROM THE CURRENT VAPE?

The first thing you will notice is the colour; the new vape pen is vibrant yellow making it easier for staff to see, particularly during searches, and there is no button to heat the coil.

The Moja vape is being trialled at HMP Swaleside and HMP The Mount before consideration is given to a national rollout of the product.

Approximately two million vape capsules are sold to prisoners every month. The new Moja brings six new flavours and two nicotine strengths:

• Tobacco Original 18mg, 12mg
• Menthol Mint 18mg, 12mg
• Berry Burst 12mg
• Docs Blend 12mg
• Razz Ice Cream 12mg
• Cola Fizz Ice 12mg