These lengthy prison sentences for rioters

I think they would be better in prison uniforms cleaning streets and doing community service but I suppose that would be too hard to supervise. Easier to lock them up and breed discontent.

What went on last weekend was thuggery and anarchy. The only way to put paid to it was to use the full force of the law. It needed a shock retaliation. The viciousness and attempted murder such as at the hotel where burning bins were pushed through the door while chairs were thrown at the police who had no option but to stand and take it while pressed against the wall. Then there were bricks etc used while it was obvious the vicious thugs were out to maim. So no sympathy from me.

I have zero sympathy. They are thugs, put them on prison. I was out today in a town near me, a suburban pleasant area. What did I encounter a group of s.... shouting EDL. They were very young, very ignorant and totally annoying.
I hope everyone who is arrested gets a custodial sentance, even if one did cry.
I feel sorry for all the innocents affected, the shop owners who were burnt out. Mosques that were vandalised. I don't give a thought to those that banged up.

The sentencing will take previous convictions into account, though, and the arrests were made on the basis of video evidence. I expect that anyone waving their arms would be unlikely to be prosecuted. Having said that, in the 2011 riots people were jailed for 'looting' water - I remember one young man got 6 months for that, and he wasn't rioting - it was an 'opportunistic' theft that he committed on his way back from his girlfriend's house when he was thirsty. He was a student, and I imagine the sentence will have messed his life up significantly.

Still, the message is loud and clear - if you are in an area where there is violent disorder, do as the police tell you and don't break the law. Also you can't rely on so-called 'two tier policing' to get you off the hook if you're middle class, which is probably fair enough.

MayBee70

Someone on another forum was saying pushing a dustbin at a policeman shouldn’t warrant a three year sentence. But I read today that the woman was screaming racist obscenities at the policemen.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that people were suggesting women should not be sent to prison apart from murder or other equally dreadful crime. It was discussed on here.

Doodledog

Callistemon213

I rather like him

So do I. Isn't he a professor of Black history? That's why his programmes tend to be about slavery etc. It's not exactly a crowded market, so his voice is heard more than others on the subject. I love his House Through Time series, too.

I liked his House Through Time too. He goes on and on about white people having slaves but never mentions the black people who captured white people and enslaved them.

As an example many white Irish people were captured and taken to Barbados where they were kept as slaves and the lowest of the low. A small community still exists to this day. They were called Red Legs as with their pale Irish skin they burned really badly. the singer Rihanna is a descendant.

winterwhite

Apologies if there has been a thread on this already.
I fear that prison sentences of several years for young men with no previous record will do no good to them or their communities. The inadequacies of training or rehab in prisons has been gone over again and again. Meanwhile, many of the men will have families / young children who could fall into poverty, and how will the men themselves find work when they are released.
I would rather see sentences of 6-12 months while a task force is established to identify needed community work to which they could be bussed each weekend while working at home during the week to minimise family breakup.
Something like that strikes me as preferable to doing nothing in prison for years on end.

I agree with you.
If there was no previous criminal record and the charge against them wasn’t actually too bad ( for some it was shouting and pushing) and in one case not moving back and waving his arms and was drunk, then I don’t believe a prison sentence was warranted.
This whole thing, being arrested and charged and sentenced so fast is to deter any more riots rather than being completely fair.
They know that and we know that.
That doesn’t mean that that there weren’t some foul and dangerous people in those riots with long criminal records.

Callistemon213

I rather like him

So do I. Isn't he a professor of Black history? That's why his programmes tend to be about slavery etc. It's not exactly a crowded market, so his voice is heard more than others on the subject. I love his House Through Time series, too.

I rather like him

Primrose53

Callistemon213

Primrose53

Whitewavemark2

David Olusoga wrote today that the rioters are simply racists. There is zero excuse for what they did.

Am inclined to agree.

Everybody in the world is racist according to him.

Does that include himself?

Probably. He is a trouble stirrer.

Why

Callistemon213

Primrose53

Whitewavemark2

David Olusoga wrote today that the rioters are simply racists. There is zero excuse for what they did.

Am inclined to agree.

Everybody in the world is racist according to him.

Does that include himself?

Probably. He is a trouble stirrer.

MayBee70

Someone on another forum was saying pushing a dustbin at a policeman shouldn’t warrant a three year sentence. But I read today that the woman was screaming racist obscenities at the policemen.

She was recorded on a camera doing it, you could hear her, so it was a fair cop. That’s the level of evidence that’s been used for most of the rioters, so they can’t escape what they did. I saw one guy said he had ‘found some knuckle dusters’ - as you do.

lemsip

wether it does them good or not is neither here nor there, It's to make others think twice if there is a next time and good job too

Agreed.
Absolutely no sympathy from me.
Designed as a deterrent which looks to be working.

Callistemon213

lemsip

wether it does them good or not is neither here nor there, It's to make others think twice if there is a next time and good job too

👍

👍👍

For fans of nested quotes. I was going to write 'this', but there's enough trouble in the world .

Primrose53

Whitewavemark2

David Olusoga wrote today that the rioters are simply racists. There is zero excuse for what they did.

Am inclined to agree.

Everybody in the world is racist according to him.

Does that include himself?

Someone on another forum was saying pushing a dustbin at a policeman shouldn’t warrant a three year sentence. But I read today that the woman was screaming racist obscenities at the policemen.

Well that suggestion didn’t land well. And it seems that there are fewer long sentences than I thought.

I read the David Olusoga piece and agree re racism. I certainly wasn’t making excuses for what happened.
But I think what happens next is important. And I think that in principle community service, or payback, would be more appropriate than custody and could be made to be equally hard going, not a soft option. It would take time to identify and set up worthwhile schemes of course esp in areas where there are numerous offenders so yes custody initially.

Whitewavemark2

David Olusoga wrote today that the rioters are simply racists. There is zero excuse for what they did.

Am inclined to agree.

Everybody in the world is racist according to him.

lemsip

wether it does them good or not is neither here nor there, It's to make others think twice if there is a next time and good job too

Agreed.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Prisoners need much more education and rehabilitation. The time inside needs to be used constructively

I approve the sentencing for reasons people have outlined above. I think it sends a message that we can't have this disruptive and malicious behaviour on the streets or on-line. It is time people learned to shut their dirty racist mouths and stop posting false and spurious info on-line.

lemsip

wether it does them good or not is neither here nor there, It's to make others think twice if there is a next time and good job too

👍

wether it does them good or not is neither here nor there, It's to make others think twice if there is a next time and good job too

Meanwhile, many of the men will have families / young children who could fall into poverty, and how will the men themselves find work when they are released.

They might lose their jobs too if they ever had one.

Meantime, many businesses have had their premises destroyed, along with community facilities.

I have no sympathy.

There are rehabilitation schemes for ex-prisoners.