A prisoner with disabilities killed himself after being "tricked" by staff into leaving his cell so they could move him to another jail, a report has revealed.
The prisoner died nine days after he was moved.
The case was highlighted in a report which examined 80 self-inflicted deaths of inmates aged between 18 to 24 over seven years.
It was produced by Nigel Newcomen, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO).
According to Mr Newcomen's findings, the prisoner - who was not identified - became distressed when he learned that he was being moved from a prison in Lewes, Sussex, to one on the Isle of Wight.
The new prison would have been a long way from his friends and family, and a departure from two fellow inmates, who apparently helped him with his disability, the report said.
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End Quote Nigel Newcomen Prisons and Probation OmbudsmanYoung adults can be a difficult and challenging, as well as potentially vulnerable, population to manage"
It revealed that staff at the Sussex prison "tricked" him into leaving his cell by telling the 24-year-old that a senior prison officer wanted to speak with him in his office.
The man had a history of self harm, and hanged himself shortly after arriving on the Isle of Wight.
The ombudsman concluded that transferring prisoners is an "unfortunate consequence" of overcrowding, but the authorities should consider the effect on vulnerable inmates.
Other cases flagged up in the report included a 19-year-old prisoner who killed himself after being assaulted and verbally abused by prisoners, who had read about his offence in a newspaper.
Another example detailed the circumstances surrounding an inmate with a history of mental health problems and previous suicide attempts - he discovered his girlfriend had ended their relationship, and, on the same afternoon, that a close relative had died.
Despite this, his level of risk was never reviewed and two days later he was found hanged in his cell.
The report also revealed that a fifth of the 18 to 24-year-olds examined had experienced bullying in the month before their death, compared to 13% of other prisoners.
'Society's most troubled'Mr Newcomen said: "Young adults can be a difficult and challenging, as well as potentially vulnerable, population to manage.
"In our sample of 80 cases of self-inflicted deaths going back to 2007, challenging behaviour was common, with prison records detailing warnings for poor behaviour, formal adjudications and punishments for breaches of prison rules."
The ombudsman recommended prisons act more robustly to allegations of bullying, as well as more timely referrals for mental health treatment.
It also found that prison staff often placed too much weight on how prisoners appeared rather than delving into their medical history or bearing in mind any recent acts of self harm.
In response to the report, Deborah Coles, co-director of Inquest, which provides specialist advice to people bereaved by a death in custody, said: "These deaths are the most extreme outcome of a system that fails some of society's most troubled and disadvantaged young people, many just out of childhood."
Young inmates 'need more support'
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