One prisoner takes own life every three days amid suicide 'epidemic' in England and Wales
Suicides in prisons across England and Wales are reaching "epidemic proportions", with one inmate taking their own life every three days, campaigners have warned.
The Howard League for Penal Reform said it has been notified of 102 people dying by suicide in jails this year.
The death toll in 2016 is already the highest in a calendar year since current recording practices began in 1978, the charity said.
The Howard League said the rise in prison suicides has coincided with cuts to prison staffing and budgets, along with an increase in the number of people in prison, which has resulted in overcrowding.
The charity released the figures on suicide as it published a joint report alongside the Centre for Mental Health.
The paper noted that there has also been a rise in violence while prisoners are spending hours locked in their cells each day.
Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League, said: "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."
Ms Crook added: "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."
The report called for the "incentives and privileges" scheme in prisons to be scrapped, saying it was having a "detrimental impact" on the well being of inmates.
Under the regime, some prisoners have limits placed on family contact, physical activity and access to money and possessions, the report said.
Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon said: "This report is tragic proof of what prison officers have been saying all along - that the Conservative Government is failing every test when it comes to prisons."
Justice Secretary Liz Truss has unveiled wide-ranging plans for prison reform, including an additional 2,500 officers, and measures to stop drones dropping drugs into jails as well as to block the illegal use of mobile phones.
A government spokeswoman said: "Mental health in custody is taken extremely seriously and there are a range of measures already in place to help support prisoners.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."