In the Fatally Flawed report, former chief inspector of prisons Lord Ramsbotham said the criminal justice system and community services “have demonstrably let young people down, for all the wrong reasons, for far too long”.
Nine children and more than 190 other young people aged 24 and under have died in prisons or secure training centres in the last 10 years, according to campaigners.
The report, which looked at 98 of the deaths, found that in many cases there were communication failures between community agencies and prisons while, in others, the inmates were placed in prisons with unsafe environments and cells.
Deborah Coles, co-director of the campaign group Inquest, said: “This shocking death toll has been obscured for far too long.
“Working on a daily basis with bereaved families, we see inquest after inquest raising the same issues and, despite promises of change, the deaths continue.”
“This report must prompt an independent review as a matter of urgency as there is a pressing need to learn from the failures that cost these young people their lives.”
