Phones could be kept in cells at a young offenders institute following the deaths of two prisoners.

Justice secretary Humza Yousaf has asked the prison service to trial the initiative at Polmont, Falkirk, after Katie Allan and William Lindsay took their own lives behind bars.

Ms Allan was found dead in her cell at Polmont in June last year after being bullied by inmates.

Following meetings with her family, Mr Yousaf has asked the prison service to explore a pilot for making phones available in cells at the facility to contribute to young prisoners' wellbeing.

If brought forward, the trial would see phones being made available for calls to family as well as helplines.

Mr Yousaf said: "At present, prisoners in Scotland can access telephones in communal areas at certain times only.

"In cell phones have the potential to contribute to prisoners' wellbeing by making family contact significantly easier.

"They also have the benefit of improving access to national helpline services and technology can offer the potential to develop telehealth services and other supports for wellbeing in prisons.

"We will explore the options available as we take forward a pilot but we will ensure that the prison service retains control over the phone numbers prisoners can access and the ability to monitor calls.

"We remain committed to improving outcomes for young people in the community and in custody.

"I, along with relevant ministerial colleagues, will hold a roundtable with key partner agencies before the end of the year to review our progress."

Ms Allan, a Geography student, was sentenced to 16 months in jail for hitting a 15-year-old schoolboy last year and leaving him unconscious.

Stuart and Linda Allan say their daughter was bullied and lost more than 80% of her hair due to the state of her mental health inside the prison.

The 21-year-old had told Glasgow University chaplain Stuart McQuarrie of her distress over repeated strip searches.

Staff also allegedly failed to act on warnings from her family that she was vulnerable and had a history of self-harm.

Mr Yousaf added: "It should not take tragedies like the deaths of Katie Allan and William Lindsay for services to improve.

"I am deeply saddened by what happened to those two young people and by any life lost in our care.

"We know that young people who commit offences and become involved in the criminal justice system are also often the young people who have experienced multiple trauma and those who are the most vulnerable.

"It is our duty to ensure we do everything possible to help them rehabilitate where necessary and vitally, to keep them safe from harm during the time they are in our care."