• Specially selected, trained staff to be equipped with synthetic pepper spray 

• Response to rising violence in young offender institutions  

• Rate of assaults on staff 14 times higher than in adult prisons

Amid rising levels of violence, the decision will help keep both staff and young people safe and reduce the severity of incidents in young offender institutions. 

Over the last few years, more and more frontline officers have been forced to put themselves in danger to protect young people in custody from attack and fend off homemade weapons.  

PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray which temporarily incapacitates those it is sprayed upon, will now be available to specialist staff in young offender institutions to help de-escalate and diffuse violent situations.   

Today’s announcement comes as new figures show the rate of assaults in public youth offender institutions is around 14 times higher than in adult prisons.  

By giving staff the tools they need to keep young people in custody safe, they will be able to focus on rehabilitation and help them turn their lives around. Reducing reoffending is fundamental to the government’s pledge to keep our streets safe, part of its Plan for Change. 

Minister for Youth Justice Sir Nic Dakin said:     

This government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis. The unacceptable levels of violence faced by our brave frontline officers in young offender institutions is yet another symptom of that.   

This is not a decision we have made lightly, but our overarching duty is to keep staff and young people in custody safe. This spray is a vital tool to prevent serious violence, helping staff to focus on rehabilitation as part of our Plan for Change.

The number of young people in custody has fallen significantly in recent years. Those now held in young offender institutions are mostly older teenage boys, aged 16 to 18 years of age, and over two-thirds of all young people are there for violent offences such as murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.  

Recent incidents have seen young people in custody sustain serious injuries while staff have experienced fractures, dislocations, puncture wounds and lacerations.  

The PAVA rollout will allow staff to respond to these incidents more effectively and restore order more quickly.   

It will only be deployed in limited circumstances by specially trained individuals where there is serious violence or an imminent risk of it taking place. It has previously been used in young offender institutions when National Tactical Response Groups have been called to deal with serious incidents, but this change will mean it can be used more quickly to diffuse situations. It is already used by police in the community and by prison officers in the adult estate to reduce the risk of serious harm to staff and prisoners alike.   

To keep both staff and young people safe, use in the youth estate will have strict controls, with each use of PAVA being reviewed by an independent panel and reported to ministers for further scrutiny. Ministers will also review its operation and impact after 12 months including to address any disproportionate use.  

Today’s announcement follows extensive research and evidence gathering with specialists including subject matter experts and NHS England.   

The Government has also recently taken action to end the practice of placing girls in young offender institutions following recommendations from Susannah Hancock’s independent review into the placement and care of girls in youth custody.