Inmates to get phones in their cells

Prisoners could soon have telephones fitted in their cells, with several jails being considered for a Ministry of Justice pilot scheme.

Inmates would be able to make calls from the landlines, rather than using communal phones. Officials are concerned by the number of mobile phones being smuggled into jails and security issues around prisoners' queuing for phones.

The front-runner for the trial is HMP Isis, a young offenders' institute within Belmarsh prison in south-east London. The Prison Service said: "Any pilot will be monitored carefully before a decision is made on its roll-out." PA