article: Jamal Mahmoud, 21, died at the London prison on Tuesday. Two prisoners, aged 34 and 26, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. BBC News understands the weapon used was a "hunting-style knife". The motive is not yet clear, although claims about a dispute between gangs or drugs debts are being investigated. It is understood the stabbings happened in a prison wing and inmates were then moved into the jail's exercise yard, according to the BBC's Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw. He said a prison source had told the BBC the knife used in the attack had been recovered, and described it as "bigger than a Bowie knife but smaller than a machete". The weapon was not improvised, the source said. Mahmoud was attacked on the fifth floor landing of one of the prison wings, before being thrown over the railings, falling about 30ft (nine metres). Mahmoud, from Enfield in north London, was jailed in July for helping to hide a machine gun. A friend of the dead man, Danny Rynne, a scaffolder from Enfield, described him as "small" and "placid". "He's got a girlfriend who's just had a baby that was born two weeks ago. It's a shame what happened. I don't know too much about what it's about but it's a shock to everyone," Mr Rynne said. How dangerous are our prisons? The Prison Governors Association (PGA) said inmates at Pentonville were living in "squalid and brutal conditions". "If a society is judged by how it treats those it locks up, then we are in a very dark place," it said. 22,195 Assaults 31% Rise compared to the same period of the previous year 2,953 Serious assaults 5,423 Attacks on prison staff 5 Apparent homicides (in 12 months to June 2016) The association has renewed calls for a public inquiry amid what it said was an "unprecedented" rise in prison violence and suicides. In response to those comments, a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesperson said the justice secretary had made clear that safety in prisons was "fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system and a vital part of our reform plans". "We are fully committed to addressing the significant increase in violence, self-harm and self-inflicted deaths in our prisons," the spokesperson added. The MoJ said measures would include spending an extra Â£14m in 10 prisons and increasing staffing levels by more than 400 prison officers. Analysis: BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw Pentonville's Governor Kevin Reilly has noted that in recent weeks people had "felt anxious" about violence at the jail. Writing in an internal newsletter, seen by BBC News, Mr Reilly said reducing violence was one of his "top five priorities". He said although there had been a slight reduction in violent incidents during the month, people remained concerned. In July the Pentonville Independent Monitoring Board said the government should "knock down" or "urgently upgrade" the 174-year-old prison. The board said the jail was "decrepit" and blamed the former legal high Spice for driving an illicit economy which in turn had led to violence, self-harm and bullying.
summary: A prisoner has died and two others were critically injured in a stabbing at HMP Pentonville, leading to claims the prison system is in a "dark place".