Three female inmates confirmed dead in English prisons over the space of 10 days

Three female prisoners have died in the space of 10 days across England, in what campaigners have branded an “incredibly worrying” sign that deaths in the women’s jails are rising again.

The Independent has learned that between 25 August and 3 September, three women lost their lives while in jail. One death has been confirmed as suicide and the other two await classification.

The women, aged 37, 46 and 52, lost their lives while serving sentences in HMP Foston, HMP Downview and HMP Bronzefield.

The deaths will fuel concerns that 10 years on from the Corston Report, which outlined a need for urgent change in the treatment of female inmates, there has been little systematic change, as similar numbers of women continue to die each year.

Politicians and campaigners said the fact that three women had died in such a short space of time was "deeply worrying", and called on the government to urgently carry out an investigation into why the number of deaths appears to be rising again.

Charity Inquest also raised concerns that a growing number of women were being found unresponsive in their cells and dying unexpectedly from unknown or unidentified causes.

Figures show 98 women have died in prison since 2007, with almost a quarter of these occurring in 2016 – the deadliest year on record. Of the total, 35 (38 per cent) were self-inflicted, 41 were non-self-inflicted, seven were other non-natural causes and 11 await classification.

Responding to the latest three deaths, Richard Burgon MP, shadow secretary of state for justice, told The Independent: “These recent deaths of women in prison means that there are already the same number as in the whole of last year.

"That is deeply worrying and the government must urgently carry out an investigation into why the number of deaths appears to be rising again.

"It needs to take emergency action to ensure everything is being done to support these vulnerable women, who very often are victims themselves of abuse and domestic violence."

Rebecca Roberts, head of policy at Inquest, said: “These figures are incredibly worrying and suggest that the numbers of deaths in women’s prisons are rising once again despite promises of action from the government.

“We are also concerned to learn that so many women are being found unresponsive in their cells and dying unexpectedly from unknown or unidentified causes.”

A report by Inquest earlier this year warned that women with histories of mental ill-health, domestic violence and poverty were being inappropriately imprisoned.

It recommended that the money currently spent on running female prisons should be redirected from criminal justice to welfare, health, housing and social care, which it says would help divert women away from jail.

In a recent high-profile case highlighted in the report, an inquest concluded that prison staff failings contributed to the death of Emily Hartley, 21, who was found hanged in the grounds of HMP New Hall near Wakefield in April 2016.

In another shocking case, a jury found that neglect contributed to the death of Natasha Evans, 34, who died after collapsing in her cell at HMP Eastwood Park in November 2013. The expert evidence confirmed that, had she received appropriate care, she would have survived.

Ms Roberts added: “Prison is a disproportionate and inappropriate response for women, many of whom have experienced abuse, violence, poverty, drug misuse and mental ill-health.

“The government must work across health, social care and justice departments to dismantle failing women’s prisons and invest in specialist services, to prevent more needless deaths.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Every death in custody is a tragedy and as usual there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman into each of them.”