Prisoners could erupt over smoking ban

NEW YORK City prison governors fear inmates will erupt when one of their few privileges is taken away — smoking.

Corrections Commissioner Martin Horn announced yesterday that Mayor Bloomberg's smoking ban will be put into effect in city jails, from April 1.

Fearing prisoner unrest, Horn said the upcoming ban is one of the reasons his agency needs a new $120 million punitive unit. Horn testified at a City Council hearing that tight living space could cause inmates to be edgy and misbehave.