Electronic cigarettes are showing up at jails in more than a dozen states, including Ohio, Illinois, South Carolina and Texas.

Many jail officials say the benefits of e-cigarettes outweigh any potential problems or health risks. They say e-cigarettes calm agitated inmates, decrease traditional cigarette contraband and bring in more revenue for the jails.

With most jails and prisons banning tobacco-burning cigarettes, inmates who smoke often suffer nicotine withdrawal and become agitated and short-tempered, said James Frye, chief deputy of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in Sidney in eastern Ohio.