The incapacitant spray, which produces a heat effect similar to that of chilli peppers, will be deployed only in emergencies where officers believe there is a risk to their own safety or that of other inmates. Its use will be restricted to situations deemed necessary.

To enable the change, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan is preparing to amend the Firearms Act 1925 and the Prisons Act 2007 through the forthcoming General Scheme of the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025. Under current legislation, only gardaí are permitted to use pepper spray.

Mr O’Callaghan is understood to regard the measure as proportionate in the context of increased violence in prisons, much of it driven by the availability of drugs – particularly cocaine and crack – and the influence of organised crime gangs. Officers have called on the government to intervene.

Violence between inmates rose by 31 per cent last year, despite a slight fall in assaults on staff and a sharp reduction in the use of physical force by officers. Figures from the Irish Prison Service show there were 874 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in 2024, up from 663 in 2023. Cloverhill, which houses many remand prisoners, saw the highest number of attacks for the second year running, with assaults rising by 44 per cent to 262.

Castlerea prison in County Roscommon recorded an increase from 20 to 72 incidents, while the Dochas Centre, the state’s main women’s prison, reported a rise from 17 to 44.

In contrast, prisoner-on-staff assaults fell marginally, from 110 in 2022 to 107 last year. Reports of threatening behaviour declined by eight per cent, and use of physical interventions dropped by a quarter.

Nonetheless, staff safety remains a concern in several institutions. Mountjoy recorded the highest number of assaults on officers last year, with 27 cases, up from 22 the year before. Increases were also reported at Cork prison and the Dochas Centre.

“We have been calling on the government to introduce this for a long time so we very much welcome this move,” Karl Dalton, general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said.

“Pepper spray is crucial to protecting our members and inmates. Our members will have to be trained in how to use ­pepper spray and risk assessments will have to be carried out but this is long overdue and we very much welcome it,” he added.