Judge Sam Benningfield in White County, Tennessee told WFTV he was tired of hearing from inmates who said they could not afford child support.

He hoped to “encourage them to take personal responsibility and give them a chance, when they do get out, to not to be burdened with children”.

WFTV reports that 32 women and 38 men have taken part in his scheme, which lets them leave prison 30 days earlier than otherwise.

But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has said judges should not play a role in “overseeing individuals’ childbearing capacity”.

ACLU said it was unconstitutional to offer inmates “a so-called ‘choice’ between jail time and coerced contraception or sterilization”.