CONCERNS about allowing PAVA incapacitant spray to be used against incarcerated children do not take into account the lack of resources available to quell violence in jails, the Prison Officers Association (POA) said today.

This followed a Ministry of Justice announcement that officers in young offender institutions will start using synthetic pepper spray from this summer in a bid to combat rising violence by inmates.

The Howard League for Penal Reform said that the government’s decision to introduce the chemical irritant amounted to a “serious escalation” in the force permitted to be used against minors.