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 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.
