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Record Number Of Deaths At Isle Of Wight's Prison

A record number of inmates have died at the Isle of Wight's prison in the last year.

Ministry of Justice (MOJ) figures show there were 11 deaths in the year to September - up from five last year.

It comes as calls to include prison deaths in an inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic intensify.

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said:

“Prisons have been largely forgotten during this crisis, but the figures published today reveal the devastation that Covid-19 has brought to people living and working behind bars and their families. A prison is the grimmest place to die.

“The full impact of the pandemic will only become apparent in the years to come. Tens of thousands of people have been held in overcrowded conditions or solitary confinement for months on end. It is almost impossible to fathom the mental distress that this will have caused.”

All of this year's deaths have been listed as 'natural causes'.

This year HMP Isle of Wight has seen its highest number of deaths since records began in 2000.

In that time a total of 60 people have died in custody on the Island, MOJ figures show.

Nationally, the number of people dying in prison has risen by 40 per cent over the last year.

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