- Muslim prisoners in England and Wales disproportionately targeted with pepper spray, with incidents rising in recent years.
- Concerns of over-reliance of Pava pepper spray and its impact on prisoners.
Campaigners report that Muslim prisoners in England and Wales are disproportionately subjected to the use of pepper spray, with statistics indicating a significant increase in incidents in recent years.
According to data from the Ministry of Justice, obtained through a freedom of information request by the advocacy organisation Maslaha, in 2022, 34% of individuals targeted with Pava, a synthetic form of pepper spray, were Muslim, despite comprising only 18% of the prison population. Pava was deployed against Muslim prisoners 188 times in 2022, with prison officers drawing it but not using it in 54 instances.
In December of last year, a six-month pilot project commenced in four prisons—Hull, Preston, Risley, and Wealstun—where Pava was designated for use as a “personal protection aid for officers to use reactively to defend themselves or others against serious attack.”
All officers in state-run prisons will now be equipped with the spray. Conversely, staff in privately operated prisons will not have access to it. Discussions are underway between the prison service and the Prison Officers Association regarding the potential provision of the spray to staff in female and juvenile detention centers. Pava, an incapacitant spray containing a solution of pelargonic acid vanillylamide dispensed from a handheld canister, boasts an effective range of up to four meters. It has been endorsed by the Home Office for police force utilisation since 2004.
In October, the prison service declared the trials as successful and announced the expansion of Pava’s usage to all prisons in England and Wales. Although the evaluation report on the trials remains unpublished, Rob Allen, co-director of Justice and Prisons, obtained a copy through a freedom of information request.
The report states: “Some staff were developing an over-reliance on Pava as a way of resolving conflict and used the spray to enforce rules and gain compliance when it was not clearly the last resort, or when more time could have been spent talking [to the prisoner].”
While users of Pava expressed positivity about the spray, staff experienced its effects on 13 occasions. The report noted that staff downplayed the impact of the spray on prisoners, describing it as a “minor use of force.”
“Prison officers must complete specialist training before being allowed to carry the spray, ensuring it is only used professionally, safely and lawfully, a Prison Service spokesperson asserted.
