Prison ombudsman names youth who died in Feltham child jail

The 16-year-old boy who died in custody in London’s Feltham young offenders’ institute on 20 April has been named. A Prison and Probation Ombudsman’s (PPO) comms officer told the Canary on 27 April:

I can confirm we are investigating the death of Eder Duarte on 20 April 2026 at HMP Feltham. I’m afraid we cannot comment on the details of Mr Duarte’s death as the investigation is live.

As the Canary reported in the aftermath of the death:

His [Duarte’s] girlfriend described to reporters that he was “covered in bruises” after identifying his body. Yet much of the corporate media has since pulled her comments. Feltham is widely described as the most violent jail in the UK’s woefully dysfunctional prison system.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) scrambled to tell the Canary that they did not agree with that assessment of Duarte’s condition.

Adrian Usher, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, released a further statement on 27 April:

My office is conducting an independent investigation into the death of Eder Duarte on 20 April 2026 at HMP Feltham. I offer my condolences to Mr Duarte’s family and friends. I will make my final investigation report public after the conclusion of the inquest.

The Canary previously spoke to the NGO Inquest which lobbies for those who’ve lost loves ones in deaths related to the British state. Director Deborah Coles said on 23 April:

No child should be dying in the care of the state, let alone a prison. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Away from their families and support systems, locked in their cells for most of the day, with high rates of violence and self-harm, and prison guards now allowed to use PAVA spray, it is clear that imprisoning children will always be harmful and never be safe. This death is a urgent reminder of this.

Adding:

The government must divest money away from punishment and prisons and into community based support services to prevent further death and harm.

High levels of violence at Feltham

Prisons magazine The Justice Gap reported in 2025 that Feltham has major problems with violence:

Conditions at Feltham prison remain ‘insufficiently improved’ after an inspection by the prisons watchdog found high levels of violence against staff and one of the highest levels of drug use in any category C prison.

The Howard League for Penal Reform has also condemned the authorities over conditions at the jail. The facility has both a youth and adult jail. Chief Executive Frances Crook slammed both in 2025:

These are two of the worst in a long line of terrible prison inspection reports. It is all the more disturbing that they concern children and young people.

These children are suffering abuse and neglect by the state. Feltham has failed to care for children and help them turn their lives around for decades. It is time to put an end to this abusive failing system and properly help children live law-abiding lives.

In August 2025 the prisons inspectorate found:

levels of violence were still the highest of any prison in the country.

The inspectorate said things had been improved by a policy of:

‘keep-apart’ lists that prevented children from mixing, allowing for a better regime.

Authorities are yet to publicise a cause of death for Eder Duarte. Feltham is just one especially egregious example of a broken UK jail system. In 2019, Inquest said:

Deaths, self-harm, violence, impoverished regimes and conditions are the daily reality of the prison system.

And, as various charities and civil society organisations regularly point out, a system which puts minors in jail needs deeper examination and serious reform.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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