Watching the television program COPS, you’d come to the conclusion cigarette smoking is an integral part of crime. Suspects are routinely asked to put out their cigarettes. Handcuffed suspects quite often get into discussions on if they can smoke in the squad car, or demand their cigarettes be retrieved for them.
Smokers account for between five and 10 percent of the U.S. population, but in prisons and jails, the figure inflates to about 50 percent.
At one time smoking was considered to cool. Or if you smoked, you were considered a tough guy. Nobody would mess with you. So I am assuming the connection between the two is, criminals smoke as a form of showing their toughness. Being cool to their buddies.
The reason I first started, I wanted to be like my sister whop smoked, and most of my friends smoked too, so it was only natural that I smoked too. It was "cool" thing to do. Only difference is, none of us committed any crimes. We never considered ourselves tough. But we were girls though, so maybe it”s different for us.