A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report into the 2011/12 deaths, found that opportunities to act on warning signs and minimise the risk of harm were missed in all three cases.
Ryan Clark, 17, who died in April 2011 after being found unconscious in his cell at Wetherby Young Offender Institution (YOI), was the first child to die in youth custody since 2007.
His death was followed in January last year with that of 15-year-old Alex Kelly at Cookham Wood YOI and 17-year-old Jake Hardy at Hindley YOI just a few days later – both apparent suicides.
The report by ombudsman Nigel Newcomen found that although the three were “extremely vulnerable”, they were all placed in YOIs rather than secure training centres (STCs), which have a higher staff-to-inmate ratio.
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