A joint report by the Prison Reform Trust and Inquest found a variety of common themes in the circumstances of the 200 under-25s to have died in custody since March 2002, including nine who were under 18.
Despite being some of the most disadvantaged young people and experiencing problems with self-harm, substance misuse and mental health, the report found that many “were placed in prisons with unsafe environments and cells”.
They were also found to have been subjected to bullying, segregation and restraint, and received poor medical care.
The report, Fatally Flawed, calls for a raft of changes to the system, including raising the custody threshold to ensure prison is an absolute last resort, and treating minor offences as a public health, rather than criminal justice, issue.
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