Systemic failures have led to the deaths of 200 children and young people in prisons in England and Wales in the last decade, campaigners said yesterday.
They argue that many of the deaths were avoidable and blamed successive governments and agencies for failing to learn lessons on the issue.
The alarming statistic is revealed in a report examining the experiences and treatment of children and young people aged 18-24 who died in prison custody published by Inquest and the Prison Reform Trust yesterday.
The report found that those who died were some of the most disadvantaged in society and had experienced problems with mental health, self-harm, alcohol or drugs.
