Scotland's prison population has risen to all time-time high, it was disclosed today.

The total number of prisoners passed 8,000 for the first time on Monday night, then hit a new record days later.

On Wednesday night, 8,018 people were held in Scotland's prisons.

The figure would have been higher if there had not been 370 prisoners on home detention curfew, said prison chiefs.

Statistics published by the Scottish Government today show the average daily prison population was 7,376 in the last year, a rise of 3% on the previous year and 22% more than the figure ten years ago.

This continues the trend since the early 1990s, after two decades in which the average daily prison population fluctuated around the 5,000 mark.

The overall total includes an average daily figure of 1,560 remand prisoners, in line with the previous year and indicating a possible levelling-out after a 60% rise in ten years.

The average daily total for prisoners recalled from supervision or licences was 614, a rise of 18% on the previous year and a sevenfold increase over the last decade.

The number of female prisoners went up by 5% to an average daily total of 371. The increase over the last ten years has been nearly 90%.

Sentenced young offenders accounted for 685 of the daily average total, a rise of 6% on the previous year.