Kenneth Clarke blames English riots on a 'broken penal system'

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has blamed the riots that swept across England last month on a "broken penal system" that has failed to rehabilitate a group of hardcore offenders he describes as the "criminal classes".

Revealing for the first time that almost 75% of those aged over 18 charged with offences committed during the riots had prior convictions, Clarke said the civil unrest had laid bare an urgent need for penal reform to stop reoffending among "a feral underclass, cut off from the mainstream in everything but its materialism".

Writing in the Guardian, Clarke dismisses criticism of the severity of sentences handed down to rioters and said judges had been "getting it about right". However, he adds that punishment alone was "not enough".

"It's not yet been widely recognised, but the hardcore of the rioters were in fact known criminals. Close to three quarters of those aged 18 or over charged with riot offences already had a prior conviction. That is the legacy of a broken penal system – one whose record in preventing reoffending has been straightforwardly dreadful."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/05/kenneth-clarke-riots-penal-system

[dipsydoodle]

1. In case anyone not UK needs an explanation of this bit

in the Guardian narrative.

"An initial analysis of the crown court cases suggests the three most severe sentences relating to the riots were handed to individuals who did not directly participate in the disorder, but were convicted of inciting riots via Facebook."

Its because under UK law being an accessory before or after the fact carries the same penalty as the principal offense - that's hundreds of years old so nothing new about that.

You may find that's actually the same in the US too - its associated with conspiracy.

Some details here for the US :

United States
Main article: Aiding and abetting

The U.S. criminal code makes aiding and abetting a federal crime itself a crime:<2>

(a) Whoever aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures the commission of an offense, is punishable as a principal.
(b) Whoever willfully causes an act to be done which if directly performed by him or another would be an offense, is punishable as a principal.

A person may be convicted of aiding and abetting any act made criminal under the code. The elements of aiding and abetting are, generally:

(1) guilty knowledge on the part of the accused ( the mens rea);
(2) the commission of an offense by someone; and
(3) the defendant assisted or participated in the commission of the offense (the actus reus).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_%28legal_term%29

btw - that's an editorial in the Guardian : not LBN.

[izquierdista]

2. Pictures of England's "broken penal system"

[dipsydoodle]

3. Took a few seconds for that to click.

:rofl:

[CurtEastPoint]

4. And don't forget this penal colony

Georgia!

[fasttense]

5. England's penal system is broken. Look at all the bankster who crashed the

economy for fun and profits still walking around free.

I guess their system is a little better than the US's system because as far as I know they don't have admitted war criminals and torturers walking around free to do it again.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Yeah, THOSE aiders and abetters certainly have no fear of jail.

[SoapBox]

6. What's broken is a system that lacks education, training and JOBS!

...all whilst the richest of the rich, just keep getting richer.