The figures compiled by the Howard League for Penal Reform show seven under 21s killed themselves in prison, five more than in 2006.
The latest apparent suicide was the death of 18-year-old Joker Idris, who was found hanging in his cell at HMP Chelmsford on Christmas Day.
Frances Crook, the director of the Howard League, said: "The prison service has taken great strides in suicide prevention in recent years, but it is all for naught when the system is on its knees with record overcrowding."
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