A prisoner has been found dead in his cell at Elmley Prison on the Isle of Sheppey.

The man is the third inmate to be found dead at the jail in as many weeks.

There have now been nine deaths at the jail in the past 12 months, the Prison Officers' Association said.

It follows a damning report in November by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons, which found inmates were not being properly assessed and managed.

A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesman said the inmate's body was found on Tuesday.

"An HMP Elmley prisoner was found unresponsive in his cell at about 17:20 GMT," the spokesman added.

"As with all deaths in custody, the Independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation," she continued.

"Every death is a tragedy for the individual and their families."

Rob Preece from the Howard League for Penal Reform charity said he was "greatly concerned" by news of another death, and blamed the combination of prison overcrowding and staff shortages.

"When nine people are dying in the space of just 11 months, we think it's just too serious to ignore..." - Rob Preece

He said: "It's a sign that conditions in prisons have really deteriorated in the last 18 months or so. The death toll is unfortunately the biggest indicator of that deterioration.

"Just three weeks ago there was an inspection report published on Elmley Prison which pointed out that the jail was grossly overcrowded and understaffed.

"Unfortunately we've seen staff levels decrease and as the prison population continues to rise, on top of chronic overcrowding, this toxic mix is coinciding with an increase in the death toll."

Mr Preece thinks the solution is to review who is sent to prison and for how long, with non-violent offenders receiving community sentences instead.

He added: "There are many people in prison who don't need to be there. They haven't committed serious violent crimes or sexual offences.

"They could be better dealt with by community punishments. By locking more people up, we're only storing up problems for later.

"When nine people are dying in the space of just 11 months, we think it's just too serious to ignore."

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