Figures on safety in prisons show that there were a total of 3,634 assaults in young offender institutions (YOIs) in 2011, compared to 3,115 in 2010, an increase of 16.7 per cent.
The biggest increase came at Ashfield YOI near Bristol where the number of assaults nearly doubled from 526 in 2010 to 1,039 in 2011.
Out of the eight YOIs where boys are held, the number of assaults decreased at just two. Assaults at Warren Hill in Suffolk fell from 350 in 2010 to 209 in 2011, and from 138 to 61 at Cookham Wood in Kent during the same period.
Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the figures highlighted ongoing concerns about Ashfield YOI.
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