Justice secretary Humza Yousaf has been urged to take action to halt the "spiralling epidemic" of suicides in Scotland's prisons.

The plea came after Mr Yousaf held talks with the parents of a young woman who took her own life while serving a sentence in Polmont Young Offenders Institution.

Four months after the death of Katie Allan, 21, in June, another inmate, 16-year-old William Brown - also known as William Lindsay - killed himself just 48 hours after being sent there on remand.

Stuart and Linda Allan, together with lawyer Aamer Anwar, met the justice secretary to plead for urgent changes to be made.

Mr Anwar claimed there could be as many as 12 suicides in Scottish jails this year, adding this would represent the "worst rate of suicides for over a decade".

The lawyer, together with Mr and Mrs Allan, demanded an immediate inspection of the young offenders institution at Polmont.

They also want a review of suicides in Scottish prisons and of mental health provision.

Mr Anwar said while 26 deaths have been recorded behind bars in 2018, only one had been formally noted a suicide.

He said: "We heard today that half of the deaths so far they believe are in relation to natural causes.

"That means approximately 12 deaths in Scottish prisons are potentially suicides.

"We are not at the end of the year. If that is the case then this is the worst rate of suicides for over a decade."

The lawyer claimed the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) "system of recording deaths in prison hides the spiralling epidemic of suicides in our prisons".

He said: "They clearly haven't learned lessons, William Lindsay should be alive today, he should not have died.

"The care system failed him, the police failed him, the criminal justice system failed him, but ultimately Polmont Prison that should have learned lessons after the death of Katie Allan failed miserably."

Mr Anwar said neither the Crown Office nor the SPS had "bothered" to contact Mr Lindsay's mother, Christine, following his death.

"Locking people up in dungeons of despair doesn't rehabilitate anyone," the lawyer said.

"The families of Katie Allan and William Lindsay hold the Scottish Prison Service, the health service and the care system directly responsible for their deaths, and they will fight to ensure other lives can be saved."

Mr Allan said: "It's so important that people who go into the care system and people who go into prison, they are treated with respect and humanity.

"We have witnessed what happened to Katie, we don't want that to happen to anybody else."

Mr Yousaf said: "Any death of a young person is a tragedy for the individual and their family.

"As with any death in custody, there will of course be a mandatory fatal accident inquiry.

"However, I am determined that appropriate early actions are taken to ensure the safety and well-being of young people in custody."

An SPS spokesman rejected claims the way deaths are recorded masked the number of suicides.

He said: "We don't describe the circumstances of any deaths in custody, we publish that a death in custody has occurred immediately after the next of kin have been informed."