Pepper spray will now be used in young offender institutions – where the rate of assaults on staff is 14 times higher than in adult prisons.

Specially trained prison officers in England will be allowed to use PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray, “as a last resort” to help de-escalate and diffuse violent situations from this summer.

They will only be allowed to use the spray in limited circumstances where there is serious violence or an imminent risk of it taking place, and ministers will review its use after 12 months.

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New figures show the rate of assaults in England’s three youth offender institutions is around 14 times higher than in adult prisons.

Assaults by children and young people on staff at HMYOI Feltham A, HMYOI Werrington and HMYOI Wetherby increased by nearly 25% in 2024 compared with the previous year.

The Ministry of Justice hopes allowing officers to use pepper spray will keep young people in custody safe so they can focus on rehabilitation and reduce reoffending.

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.”

Pepper spray is already used on children and adults in the community, and in adult prisons.

It can be used during the most serious incidents in youth offender institutions, but only by national tactical response officers, who are nationally based and have to be authorised to go into an institution by a prison gold commander.

Deploying officers can take more than an hour, and because altercations often arise rapidly and with little warning, they can rarely arrive in time to respond to the violence.

The number of young people in custody has fallen significantly in recent years, however, the majority in youth offender institutions are older teenage boys, aged 16 to 18 years old.

More than two-thirds are there for violent offences such as murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

Safety concerns have been rising, with recent incidents seeing young offenders seriously injured and staff experiencing fractures, dislocations, puncture wounds and lacerations.

Staff acting as body shields

A senior Ministry of Justice source told Sky News many of the boys are the same size as adults.

They said a recent example includes a boy being attacked last Monday by five other boys who stamped on his head and stabbed him with a handmade weapon.

“I’ve got staff here that are putting their bodies in the way to defend and try and prevent injuries happening to young people, and as a result of that they’re being injured themselves,” they said.

“I think that’s a prime example of where if we’ve got an incapacitant spray like PAVA it could be utilised effectively to defuse the situation and not only cause significant harm to my staff but also to young people.”

Like rubbing chillies in your eyes

The source explained the pepper spray has the same effect as if you rub chillies in your eye while cooking, with eyes experiencing a burning sensation, closing up, and producing tears and snot – “but it passes”.

They said when they tested the spray on themselves, it took 45 minutes to an hour to pass and people have different levels of discomfort and irritation.

“It means you physically can’t respond in the way you normally do, so that ability to then ask the staff to step in because that person is impacted by it is the crucial stuff,” they added.