Lord Falconer, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to reports ahead of a speech from the Prime Minister on prison policy, said:

“With an estimated 200 000 children affected by parental imprisonment, many of whom are more likely to have mental health problems and to be involved in offending, it is right that we urgently look at the way the criminal justice system treats pregnant women and mothers with children.

"It is also right that we should look at alternatives to custody for low level offenders and as Labour has long argued we should also build on the success of the youth justice model to seek to divert more women away from the criminal justice system.

"But we have heard many of David Cameron’s promises before and it is worrying that the Government is still burying its hand in the sand when it comes to the state our prisons are in. Violent, overcrowded prisons will never be able to rehabilitate offenders and Ministers must urgently address the crisis in our prisons.”