AYJ response to PAVA extension in children's custody
The Alliance for Youth Justice (AYJ) is dismayed to have been informed in correspondence today, from the Youth Justice Minister, that the Ministry of Justice's is extending authorisation of PAVA incapacitant spray across Young Offender Institutions (YOIs)—HMYOI Feltham A, Werrington, and Wetherby—for a further 12 months until August 2027. We remain gravely concerned about the ongoing use of chemical incapacitants that cause pain and distress on children and the lasting harm this inflicts.
In April 2025, alongside 37 organisations and experts working across children's rights and youth justice, we warned that introducing PAVA spray into children's prisons was a dangerous escalation in the use of force. Following the High Court ruling in January 2026, we reiterated that normalising violence in settings holding vulnerable children does not make institutions safer. The recent HM Inspectorate of Prisons annual report confirms this, highlighting that the children's estate has continued to grapple with violence in the period since the introduction of PAVA. Relying on chemical sprays to tackle the urgent challenges in the youth estate and the root causes of violence—such as poor relationships with staff, and limited access to education, activities and services that support children’s needs.
Ongoing concerns regarding race disparities and transparency
Lack of demographic data makes independent scrutiny difficult. To date, no data has been made publicly available regarding the demographics of the children PAVA spray has been used against. While the small number of incidents makes drawing statistical conclusions challenging, lessons from the adult prison estate must not be ignored.
Evidence from adult male prisons shows clear disproportionality. In adult prisons, PAVA spray is used disproportionately against Black and racially minoritised individuals, compounding existing inequalities. Despite government assurances that disproportionality will be monitored, proceeding with PAVA in the youth estate continues to risk repeating these exact mistakes.
Policy compliance and oversight
Findings from the Independent Restraint Review Panel highlight concerns over policy compliance. In its review covering 2025, the panel found that "around half of the deployments we reviewed were judged either to not meet the policy guidance or we were unable positively to satisfy ourselves from the information available to us that the guidance had been satisfied".
Ongoing risk to children despite falling deployment numbers. While the Youth Custody Service (YCS) took action after these findings were raised and deployments subsequently reduced, it remains deeply alarming that around half of reviewed incidents failed to satisfy policy guidance. Arming staff with a chemical spray where governance and compliance are so uncertain leaves children exposed to unacceptable risk.
Incoherent policy, pulling in opposite directions
The upcoming Youth Custody Transformation Plan must address the root causes of the crisis in the youth estate. Failing institutions require genuine, child-centred reform. The recent Youth Justice White Paper explicitly recognises that the custodial establishments where the majority of children are held – YOIs - are not capable of meeting their needs. Rather than sending children to these unfit for purpose establishments that are resorting to the use of chemical sprays to manage the children in their care, the forthcoming Youth Custody Transformation Plan must focus on reducing the number of children in custody and delivering a genuinely child-centred, trauma-informed approach.
A call for real reform
"PAVA spray causes severe and immediate pain and has been described as ‘liquid fire’. Extending its use on children for another year is a harmful step in the wrong direction," said Jess Mullen, Chief Executive of the Alliance for Youth Justice. "Children in custody are among the most vulnerable in society and need care, trauma-informed support, education, and trusting relationships with well-trained staff—not chemical incapacitants that cause pain and distress.
Rather than relying on punitive measures, the government must deliver genuine reform. That means ending the use of PAVA spray, closing Young Offender Institutions, and investing in small, child-centred, therapeutic settings that address complex needs and keep both children and staff safe."