Watchdog calls use of pepper spray on young offenders 'irresponsible'

The rollout of synthetic pepper spray to incapacitate jailed children is "wholly irresponsible" while black and minority prisoners are more likely to be subject to force, a watchdog has warned.

- Rajeev Syal

Elisabeth Davies, the head of the independent monitoring boards (IMBs) that operate in every prison in England and Wales, said the justice secretary should pause the use of Pava spray in young offender institutions (YOIs) until ministers had addressed the disproportionate use of force on minority prisoners.

"There is clear racial disproportionality when it comes to the use of force," she said. "It is therefore, I think, wholly irresponsible to expand use of force measures before disproportionality issues are addressed."

Her intervention comes after Shabana Mahmood in April authorised the rollout of Pava across YOIs in England and Wales amid growing demands from the Prison Officers' Association (POA) to protect prison staff from attacks.

The government's "use of force" evaluation report, published in April, found that black prisoners were nearly twice as likely as white prisoners to experience Pava and baton use.