SHOCKING figures state nine inmates have committed suicide at HMP Hewell in the last the last four years – a number that is higher in only a handful of jails.

The Howard League for Penal Reform said it is aware of 102 suicides in jails in England and Wales this year, accounting for the highest since records began in 1978.

One suicide took place at Hewell, with a further three occurring in 2015, two in 2014 and three in 2013, putting the jail sixth for the number of inmate suicides since 2013.

It comes just two weeks after around 60 prison officers protested outside Hewell over "degrading" jail conditions, safety concerns and assaults on prison officers.

Only Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, Wandsworth, and Woodhill prisons saw higher suicide numbers.

Andy Bell, Deputy Chief Executive of Centre for Mental Health – joint-publishers of the report – stated the figures show a "fundamental change" is needed in prisons.

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, added: "The number of people dying by suicide in prison has reached epidemic proportions.

"No one should be so desperate while in the care of the state that they take their own life, and yet every three days a family is told that a loved one has died behind bars.

"Cutting staff and prison budgets while allowing the number of people behind bars to grow unchecked has created a toxic mix of violence, death and human misery.

"This report makes clear that there are practical steps that can be taken to make prisons safer.

"By taking bold but sensible action to reduce the number of people in prison, we can save lives and prevent more people being swept away into deeper currents of crime and despair."

The report, called ‘Preventing Prison Suicide’, states prisoners spend up to 23 hours a day locked in their cells.

It adds the prison suicide rate at 120 deaths per 100,000 people is about 10 times higher than the rate in the general population.

Justice Secretary Liz Truss, who announced reforms for an extra 2,500 prison officers in jails across the country, will meet with Ms Crook today (Monday, November 28) to discuss the findings.

A Government spokesman said: "Mental health in custody is taken extremely seriously and there are a range of measures already in place to help support prisoners.

"Providing the right intervention and treatment is vital to improving the outcomes for people who are suffering and all prisons have established procedures in place to identify, manage and support people with mental health issues.

"But we recognise that more can be done. That is why have invested in specialist mental health training for prison officers, allocated more funding for prison safety and have launched a suicide and self-harm reduction project to address the increase in self-inflicted deaths and self-harm in our prisons."