Latest news with #AndreaCoomberKC
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Pepper spray use on kids sparks legal action after 'catastrophic' warning
The Government said it has no choice but to roll out PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray, into the youth offenders institutions amid spiralling levels of violence across the estate Ministers are facing legal action over their decision to allow pepper spray to be used against children as young as 15 in youth offenders' institutions. The Government last month said it has no choice but to roll out PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray, into the youth justice system amid fears a young person will soon lose their life to growing violence. The Howard League for Penal Reform has launched legal action challenging the announcement. The leading prisons charity sent a letter to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warning her to U-turn on the decision. Andrea Coomber KC, the charity's chief executive, said: 'We know that PAVA spray has been used inappropriately in prisons holding adults; to use it on children would be catastrophic.' PAVA, which temporarily incapacitates its victims, is currently for use in all adult male prisons and by the police. Rates of violence in the youth estate are around 14 times higher than in adult jails. In the last three months of 2024, there were 534 assault incidents in the youth estate, of which 42 were serious. The Howard League said PAVA spray pilots in adult prisons indicated that it did nothing to reduce violence and in fact had a detrimental effect on relationships between staff and the people living there. It is also concerned that the use of PAVA spray is likely to disproportionately affect children with mental and/or physical health concerns, speech, language and communication needs, learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and neurodivergence. There is significant overrepresentation of children presenting with these disabilities in custody. Ms Coomber said PAVA use in jails will 'normalise' the use of violence against kids. She added: 'Instead of arming staff, the way to reduce violence is to close failing young offender institutions and ensure that children are accommodated in more appropriate settings – such as secure children's homes – where they can be given the care and support they need. Prison is no place for a child.' In a written ministerial statement announcing her decision on PAVA last month, Ms Mahmood said: 'This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but I am clear that this vital measure is needed to urgently prioritise safety in these three YOIs at this present time. I believe that failing to act will place young people in custody and staff at risk of serious harm." She added: "The levels of violence across the Children and Young People's Secure Estate are unacceptable. On a weekly basis there are assaults involving young people in custody. "Serious assaults can see these young people use homemade weapons, including stabbing implements, against each other and our staff. Today, levels of violence are higher than in the adult prison estate."
North Wales Chronicle
20-05-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Legal bid over plans to use pepper spray in young offender institutions
Charity Howard League for Penal Reform has sent a letter before claim to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood urging her to reverse the move set to be rolled out this summer. Pava spray, which is an incapacitant, is due to be made available 'in limited circumstances' to a select number of specialist staff at the three public sector YOIs holding under-18s – YOI Werrington, Wetherby and Feltham A, the Ministry of Justice announced in April. The measure, which seeks to combat rising violence from inmates, was welcomed by union bosses who lobbied for the change for prison officers to be given equipment to protect themselves. The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show rates of assaults on staff in the YOIs are 14 times higher than within adult prisons. But the plan sparked criticism from the Children's Commissioner and the charity, which warned it was 'a serious escalation in the use of force that is permitted against children'. The spray is set to be rolled out for an initial 12 months before it is reviewed by ministers, while each use of the spray will be reviewed by an independent panel. On Tuesday, charity chief executive Andrea Coomber KC said: 'The Howard League has been preparing to take whatever steps necessary to challenge the roll-out of Pava spray to prisons holding children, including potential legal action. 'We know that Pava spray has been used inappropriately in prisons holding adults; to use it on children would be catastrophic. 'Far from keeping children and staff safe, normalising the use of violence in this way risks making conditions even worse for those living and working in prison.' The national charity is concerned there is a lack of research on the use of the spray in custody, and specifically against children, while existing research in relation to adults shows a 'myriad of potential physiological health impacts'. Ms Coomber added: 'Instead of arming staff, the way to reduce violence is to close failing young offender institutions and ensure that children are accommodated in more appropriate settings – such as secure children's homes – where they can be given the care and support they need. Prison is no place for a child.' The pre-action letter sent by lawyers on behalf of Howard League asks for the Justice Secretary to withdraw the decision and respond within 14 days, it said. The campaigners have also launched a crowd fundraiser to help them fund the challenge, which has currently raised more than £10,000. Announcing the roll-out in April, justice minister 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.' The rate of assault incidents on staff last year was 170.0 per 100 children and young people at Feltham, 182.9 per 100 at Werrington, and 167.4 per 100 at Wetherby, Ministry of Justice figures show. The rates are around 14 times the equivalent figure in adult prisons in England and Wales, which was 12.2 per 100. The Ministry of Justice said it does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.
Western Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Western Telegraph
Legal bid over plans to use pepper spray in young offender institutions
Charity Howard League for Penal Reform has sent a letter before claim to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood urging her to reverse the move set to be rolled out this summer. Pava spray, which is an incapacitant, is due to be made available 'in limited circumstances' to a select number of specialist staff at the three public sector YOIs holding under-18s – YOI Werrington, Wetherby and Feltham A, the Ministry of Justice announced in April. The measure, which seeks to combat rising violence from inmates, was welcomed by union bosses who lobbied for the change for prison officers to be given equipment to protect themselves. The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show rates of assaults on staff in the YOIs are 14 times higher than within adult prisons. But the plan sparked criticism from the Children's Commissioner and the charity, which warned it was 'a serious escalation in the use of force that is permitted against children'. The spray is set to be rolled out for an initial 12 months before it is reviewed by ministers, while each use of the spray will be reviewed by an independent panel. On Tuesday, charity chief executive Andrea Coomber KC said: 'The Howard League has been preparing to take whatever steps necessary to challenge the roll-out of Pava spray to prisons holding children, including potential legal action. 'We know that Pava spray has been used inappropriately in prisons holding adults; to use it on children would be catastrophic. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been urged to reverse the move before it is rolled out this summer (Ben Whitley/PA) 'Far from keeping children and staff safe, normalising the use of violence in this way risks making conditions even worse for those living and working in prison.' The national charity is concerned there is a lack of research on the use of the spray in custody, and specifically against children, while existing research in relation to adults shows a 'myriad of potential physiological health impacts'. Ms Coomber added: 'Instead of arming staff, the way to reduce violence is to close failing young offender institutions and ensure that children are accommodated in more appropriate settings – such as secure children's homes – where they can be given the care and support they need. Prison is no place for a child.' The pre-action letter sent by lawyers on behalf of Howard League asks for the Justice Secretary to withdraw the decision and respond within 14 days, it said. The campaigners have also launched a crowd fundraiser to help them fund the challenge, which has currently raised more than £10,000. Announcing the roll-out in April, justice minister 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.' The rate of assault incidents on staff last year was 170.0 per 100 children and young people at Feltham, 182.9 per 100 at Werrington, and 167.4 per 100 at Wetherby, Ministry of Justice figures show. The rates are around 14 times the equivalent figure in adult prisons in England and Wales, which was 12.2 per 100. The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.
ITV News
25-04-2025
- ITV News
Pepper spray to be introduced at Feltham Young Offenders Institution from this summer
Feltham Young Offender Institution (YOI) will be one of three public sector institutions where synthetic pepper spray is introduced this summer, as part of efforts to combat rising levels of violence against staff. The move comes after new figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Thursday showed rates of assaults on staff were 14 times higher than at adult prisons. Pava spray, already used by police and guards in adult prisons, will be rolled out 'in limited circumstances' to specialist staff at Feltham A, Werrington and Wetherby – the three public sector YOIs that hold children under 18. Staff at Feltham will receive 'a really high level' of training and there will be 'a very clear, high threshold' for when the spray can be used, according to a senior youth custody source. Recent incidents have left officers at YOIs with fractures, dislocations and puncture wounds, the MoJ said. Inmates have reportedly used cutlery and screws taken from furniture as weapons. In one case, a female staff member used her body as a human shield to protect a child who was being attacked in a group assault in the courtyard, a senior source said. MoJ data shows Feltham had 170.0 assaults on staff per 100 children and young people last year. This compares to 182.9 at Werrington and 167.4 at Wetherby. Across the whole of the children and young persons secure estate – including other establishments such as secure children's homes – the rate of assaults on staff was 183.6 per 100, a slight drop from 187.2 in 2023. Justice minister 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.' The rollout will last 12 months and be reviewed by ministers. Each use of the spray will also be assessed by an independent panel. Youth justice charity the Howard League for Penal Reform has condemned the move. Andrea Coomber KC, the charity's chief executive, said: 'There is too much violence in prisons holding children, but this is a direct consequence of a failing system that keeps boys as young as 15 locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day without meaningful access to education or social interaction. 'It reflects a profound failure on the part of those responsible for children in custody that they would consider introducing weapons in the name of safety. 'Instead of arming staff, the way to reduce violence is to close failing young offender institutions and ensure that children are accommodated in more appropriate settings - such as secure children's homes - where they can be given the care and support they need. 'Prison is no place for a child.' The move was welcomed by the Prison Officers' Association. Steve Gillan, general secretary of the POA, said: 'Young offenders institutions can be a very challenging environment for our members to work in. 'Prison officers must be given the right PPE to protect themselves and prisoners from violence. This is a step in the right direction.'
The Independent
24-04-2025
- The Independent
Pepper spray to be used in young offender institutions from this summer
Prison officers in young offender institutions (YOIs) will start using synthetic pepper spray from this summer in a bid to combat rising violence from inmates, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced. The move comes after new figures released by the MoJ on Thursday showed rates of assaults on staff in the estate were 14 times higher than at adult prisons. Pava spray, which is an incapacitant, will be made available 'in limited circumstances' to a select number of specialist staff at the three public sector YOIs holding under-18s – YOI Werrington, Wetherby and Feltham A, the MoJ said. They will receive a 'really high level' of training and there will be 'a very clear, high threshold' for when the spray should be used, a senior youth custody source said. It is already used by police officers in the community and by guards at adult prisons. The spray will be rolled out for an initial 12 months before it is reviewed by ministers, while each use of the spray will be reviewed by an independent panel. Recent incidents in YOIs have seen staff suffer fractures, dislocations and puncture wounds as they tried to contain them, the MoJ said. Inmates have been using 'everyday pieces of plastic' as weapons, such as cutlery and screws taken out of furniture, a senior youth custody source said. In one incident, a female staff member resorted to 'using her body as a human shield' to protect an inmate being targeted in a group attack in the courtyard, a separate senior source said. Justice minister 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.' A charity condemned the introduction of Pava into YOIs as 'a serious escalation in the use of force that is permitted against children', saying the spray can cause severe pain. Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the group would consider taking legal action to challenge the decision. She said: 'There is too much violence in prisons holding children, but this is a direct consequence of a failing system that keeps boys as young as 15 locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day without meaningful access to education or social interaction. 'It reflects a profound failure on the part of those responsible for children in custody that they would consider introducing weapons in the name of safety. 'Instead of arming staff, the way to reduce violence is to close failing young offender institutions and ensure that children are accommodated in more appropriate settings – such as secure children's homes – where they can be given the care and support they need. 'Prison is no place for a child.' The announcement comes after several high-profile incidents raised concerns about the levels of protection for officers in adult prisons. Four guards were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland in County Durham earlier in April, with the inmate subsequently transferred to Belmarsh after the incident. Convicted killer John Mansfield was found dead after suffering a head injury at HMP Whitemoor on April 13, with another inmate arrested on suspicion of his murder. Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the use of Tasers would be trialled in prisons and confirmed the prison service would conduct a 'snap review' of the use of protective body armour for prison officers.
