Jeanette Hall presented on the potential impacts of pepper spray on perceptions of prison legitimacy

Jeanette Hall presented on the potential impacts of pepper (incapacitant) spray on perceptions of prison legitimacy.

Her presentation took place on 24 November, day 2 of the French Prison Service’s sixth international research conference in Agen. The theme of the event was violence in prison. Amongst 300 participants were representatives from Algeria, Costa Rica, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

Jeanette explained that positive perceptions of legitimacy are a vital component of safe and orderly prisons. She acknowledged that pepper spray, which was introduced in prisons in England and Wales in early 2020 has the potential to deliver improved safety outcomes by deterring violence and reducing the likelihood of serious injury for staff and prisoners.

However, she also highlighted a lack of published research into prisoner experiences of pepper spray, the likelihood that the new tool could drive a net increase in the use of force (because it allows prison officers to use force in a wider range of situations than was possible previously) and data suggesting that pepper spray was used disproportionately frequently against minority groups in prison.