Youth jails could be allowed to use pepper spray to curb rise in violence

Prison officers in England and Wales could be allowed to use pepper spray to incapacitate children under plans to curb a sharp increase in violence at young offender institutions, the Guardian has learned.

- Rajeev Syal, Helen Pidd, Diane Taylor

Dogs and stun grenades are used in some YOIS to defuse conflict among 15- to 18-year-olds, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said. Two teenagers were burned in May by a grenade, a device designed to temporarily disorient but not physically harm people.

Whitehall sources confirmed the use of Pava spray, a synthetic form of pepper spray, across the five YOIS in England and Wales was under discussion by ministers. It follows demands from the prison officers' union for the introduction of the incapacitant spray following attacks on staff.

Any decision to allow use of Pava on juveniles would be opposed by prison welfare charities and the prisons' watchdog, who say its use would create further divisions between staff and the children in their care.

Squirted from a canister Pava spray, or pelargonic acid vanillyl-amide, causes searing pain and discomfort in the eyes for about 40 minutes as well as a burning sensation on the skin. In 2018 the spray was introduced in men's prisons in England and Wales.

Since then there have been claims of disproportionate use against disabled people and those from minority ethnic backgrounds. Black adult prisoners were seven times more likely to have Pava spray used against them than white prisoners, MoJ figures showed in December.

The prison officers' union, the POA, has called for the spray to be introduced in YOIS to restore confidence among staff. Mark Fairhurst, the union's national chair, said: "Our members must be given the chance to protect themselves and others. They are open to unprovoked attacks and witness horrendous violence without the ability to intervene. No wonder it has become so difficult to retain staff in these institutions."