This week a landmark in the UK riots was founded, after the 1000th person was charged with crimes over the five days of unrest that rocked the nation.
Described as a “milestone” by acting police commissioner, Tim Godwin, it is also no surprise that police are practically feeding themselves Donuts with joy, feeling they quenched the cry for blood that some Britons screamed.
Yet concerns over the alleged “harsh” way the law has dealt with some of the rioters, has muted the round of applause the police feel they deserve.
As another pair of wrists gets strapped into handcuffs, so grows the population of our ever-swelling prisons, causing the number of people in jail in Britain to hit a record high.
More concerning than that, is the fact that due to the age of many rioters young offending institutes are feeling most of the pressure, with many claiming they could be at risk of reaching full capacity at any moment.
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Sentencing
It must be raised however, that among the rapists and murderers who have rightly earned their beds in jail, you will find sprinkles of faces that some are arguing do not belong.
An example being mother of two, Ursula Nevin, who was sentenced to serve six months in prison for taking a pair of stolen shorts that a friend had looted during the Manchester riots.
You may see the face of student, Nicholas Robinson, who received the same sentence for stealing a case of water from a looted supermarket, worth around $5.00.
Also, very soon the inside of a prison may be home to, Anderson Fernandes, after he was told in Court that he may be sent down for stealing two scoops of ice-cream.
The 22-year-old was remanded by police and was even reportedly warned by the Judge that he may be dealt with “harshly” when he gets sentenced on August 24.
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However, it was not until the sentencing of youths Jordan Blackshaw and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, who got four years each for using Facebook to “incite” a riot, that people began accuse the justice system of performing their own “injustices” to offenders.
While the fact remains that the boys aged 20 and 22, did not start the riot, they were punished for their ideas.
When I spoke to 19-year-old student, Craig Mullard, he felt that the courts had gone “too far”: “I just don’t understand why the police think they can even look at our Facebook’s and take what they say as gospel!”
He continued: “I have said I wanted to kill my little brother before. I did not mean it, I said it on Facebook. It is hardly like I wrote it in blood on the kitchen wall. Like, it has all just gone way too far and you cant punish them for a thought.”
Nursery assistant, Teresa Godwin, 33, said: “I do see where the judge is coming from because he has to set an example that, you know, people can not just get away with doing what they feel.”
“Although they did not actually do it, people were scared at the time and it just takes one idiot to start something and then kaboom we have a riot!” she added.
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Crime and Punishment
It can be strongly defended that the law are doing what they feel “the people” want, because hundreds of people who had their business’ and homes destroyed need justice.
I can understand that we are a society who believe in the concept of “crime and punishment”, thus found criminals should be held accountable for the actions.
Earlier this month (Aug 9) Prime Minister David Cameron, said in a speech that he would make sure that all criminals involved in the riots would; “feel the full force of the law.”
However, it is only when one puts these sentences in context of “normal” cases, the margin of how much “harsher” we are being is concerning.
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A four year sentence would normally be given to someone over charges of; assault, carrying a weapon and moderate to serious drug crimes. Also, instead of a six month sentence, first time offender Nicholas Robinson, most likely would have only been given an official warning by police and let go.
Retail manager, Shabin Begum, 21, said: “I think the police need to jail people because they represent a real danger to society. Not because they stole a rum and raisin Ice Cream cone!”
Understanding context in each of the cases is key to making sure our legal system will not be compromised in the short term just to prove a point. It is only when this happens that we can ensure that the mere 1,5000 spaces left in our prisons, will be filled with people who truly deserve to be there.
