Kenneth Clarke blames English riots on a 'broken penal system'
06 September 2011, 07:10 AM
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Kenneth Clarke blames English riots on a 'broken penal system'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/se...s-penal-system
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."
He says: "In my view, the riots can be seen in part as an outburst of outrageous behaviour by the criminal classes – individuals and families familiar with the justice system, who haven't been changed by their past punishments."
Clarke uses his intervention to call for the coalition government to adopt a "renewed mission" in response to the riots that addressed an "appalling social deficit".
His comments will reignite the debate on the causes of the disturbances, which the prime minister, David Cameron, has said "were not about poverty".
Agreed, Kenny!
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."
He says: "In my view, the riots can be seen in part as an outburst of outrageous behaviour by the criminal classes – individuals and families familiar with the justice system, who haven't been changed by their past punishments."
Clarke uses his intervention to call for the coalition government to adopt a "renewed mission" in response to the riots that addressed an "appalling social deficit".
His comments will reignite the debate on the causes of the disturbances, which the prime minister, David Cameron, has said "were not about poverty".
Agreed, Kenny!
06 September 2011, 09:24 AM
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Dave
06 September 2011, 11:49 AM
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Isn't it amazing how a politician can change tack so quickly when they sense which way the wind is blowing.
Wonder if he will do the same about the Eu when it becomes even more obvious how bad it is for our country!
Les
Wonder if he will do the same about the Eu when it becomes even more obvious how bad it is for our country!
Les
06 September 2011, 11:52 AM
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2nd - Nope, sadly not.
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