The annual report on the state of Scottish prisons has called for an end to the exclusion of young people from schools.

The report found that young offenders rarely attend school from the ages of 13 or 14 onwards.

It is during this time that they get involved with alcohol, violence and drugs which can then lead to offences requiring a prison sentence.

Brigadier Hugh Monro, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said: "I feel far too many are excluded and I would like to see far more youngsters included at school.

"Inclusion must be the way ahead, and indeed I suggest that in the report.

"Every single young offender I speak to, both male and female, have at some stage been excluded from school, and that's a great shame, because when they're not in school, what are they doing?"

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill added: "No school and no educational authority wants to go straight to exclusion.  It's a matter for them.

"So I think as the justice secretary, we want to make sure that kids are not routinely excluded and can then get up to mischief, but it's a matter that has to be dealt with by the school authorities - they have to deal with the challenges within the school environment as I have to deal with the challenges within the prison."