Cigarette prices have been delinked from the mechanism for adjusting prisoners' earnings to encourage inmates to reduce smoking, the Correctional Services Department says.

The new earnings arrangements also include increasing the maximum earning grade of inmates attending full-time vocational training courses and psychological treatment programmes.

With the same maximum earnings grade as other adult prisoners, the arrangement will provide an incentive to inmates to participate in vocational training courses and psychological treatment programmes.

The department will also adopt a unified approach to adjust the earnings of adult and young inmates when there are changes in the contract prices of canteen items, except cigarettes.