Criminal courts should pay more attention to the effect locking up women in jail has on families, Cherie Blair has said.

The criticism from the prime minister's wife came in comments for a prisons newsletter, Inside Time.

There are currently 4,400 women prisoners, the vast majority of them jailed for non-violent crimes and double the number which existed five years ago.

Most of them are mothers and just under half of them had children with them when they were convicted.

Over-crowding

Mrs Blair, a barrister and part-time judge, agreed when asked if sentencing policy should take into account that jailing women involved breaking up families.

More imaginative ways were needed for dealing with women prisoners to recognise their pivotal role in families, said Mrs Blair.

Her comments follow calls from the home secretary, lord chief justice and head of the prison service for courts to consider alternatives to custody because of concern over prison overcrowding.

Prison officials have warned in May that women's prisons could be full within two months.

Last year a third men's jail was converted to be able to house women prisoners because of the record numbers.