3rd June 2025
The Alliance for Youth Justice (“AYJ”) have joined forces with 37 supporting organisations to condemn the government’s decision to introduce PAVA spray, similar to pepper spray, for use against Children in Young Offenders Institutions.
Details
In April 2025, the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, approved the use of PAVA spray – which is a synthetic form of pepper spray – to incapacitate children in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). The measure is intended to curb an increase in violence at YOIs.
The introduction has been strongly condemned by a vast array of youth justice organisations, including the Alliance for Youth Justice, the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Youth Justice Legal Centre. The Youth Justice Board have also released a statement criticising the measure.
It comes despite the government’s evaluation of the use of PAVA spray in adult prisons showed that violence continued to rise and that the use of the spray undermined trust between prisoners and staff. Further warnings from the pilot include that it was found that the use of the spray would single out minorities in society, particularly those from racially minoritised backgrounds and disabled people.
The joint statement says that this use “represents a significant escalation in the use of force that is permitted against children” and that this “risks making conditions even worse for those living and working in prison”. Further, it adds that it may make it difficult for those children preparing to reintegrate back into society, if they have been punished by the use of the PAVA spray.
The statement continues: “The threat and actual use of PAVA spray would likely be especially harmful in prisons holding children, where positive relationships are essential to ensure that children are safeguarded and supported.” That staff in YOIs are now empowered to use PAVA on children “shows a serious deterioration in the staffing and management of YOIs for children, and an abject failure in safeguarding those children held in custody.”
Commentary
This concerning decision reflects a broader failure to address the longstanding challenges within children’s prisons. Staffing shortfalls, deteriorating conditions, and inadequate educational support have contributed to an unsafe environment for both children and staff. Normalising the use of PAVA spray risks making those conditions worse, with the worry that meaningful changes to help re-build the system will then be difficult to implement. The introduction is in stark contrast to the youth justice system’s Child First approach, which commits to seeing children as children first and foremost.
Rather than providing staff with chemical sprays, the government must prioritise education and safer, trauma-informed environments, so that children’s needs are met.
In the meantime, we aim to highlight the significance of this decision to those practitioners in this area, so that it can be considered during their practice to demonstrate the state of the youth custodial estate to support arguments against custodial remands and sentences.