I predict a riot. And a second one when they’re released.

No doubt that when the rioting blows over, the Government will have a lot of questions to answer on what they’re going to do with the rioters, how the police dealt with the riots, and how they’re going to put things right etc.. People aren’t likely to accept what the government says – nobody ever really likes government, and recalling Parliament was called by some, a waste of time.

As Nick Robinson said the Right will probably call for more prisons and harsher prison sentences, while the Left will argue that more money should be pumped into ‘youth services’ – neither of which will really deal with the current situation, or stop it happening again. We’ve built more prisons, and they’re now full, the change in prison sentences means that only long-term prison sentences make any real difference (short sentences just mean that once they’re released they offend again), and pumping money into youth services, clearly, hasn’t done that much good. From a financial point of view, we can afford to neither build more prisons or pump more money into services for the youth of Britain.

The rioters will, obviously or hopefully, serve some sort of prison sentence, but what happens when they are released and or go back to their day to day lives? They’re likely to offend again. 71% of 18-21 year-olds (2004) re-offend when they are released. So prison system needs to change to rehabilitate and reform those who serve prison sentences. Those without qualifications to go back into society and contribute, in any way, shape or form should receive some sort of education or training. In 2003 95% of prisoners needed help with basic literacy, and half of prisoners are at, or below, the level expected of an eleven year old in reading, 66% in numeracy, and 80% in writing – skills which are required in 96% of jobs.

Educating and rehabilitating prisoners doesn’t really conform with the successive government or society’s ‘tough on crime’ stance, but if we’re really going to make sure that prison works and see things improve then we need to make sure that prison works in the long term, not the short term.

Should we really be cutting rioter’s benefits?

“An e-petition calling for rioters to lose their benefits has hit 100,000 signatures and become the first to be considered for a Commons debate.”

At risk of sounding like a broken record or a parrot, I’ll just say it how it is or how I see it. These riots (again, if they can be called riots) are unjustifiable and unfair on the remaining, majority, law abiding citizens – they are completely void of any reason, far removed from the original protest last week, and is purely law breaking and criminality. However, I don’t agree with the 100,000 (plus) people who would see the rioters who receive state benefits lose their benefits. Society has a social responsibility to ensure that the people who need help, the people receiving state benefits, have all the help and, more importantly, guidance to help themselves to ensure a standard of living for them and their family.

Cutting their benefits will not only affect them directly – as they’re likely to serve a prison sentence and lose their benefits anyway. It will indirectly affect their family, their children, and the elderly mother they could possibly be taking care of. Who looks after their immediate family, who can’t get work, can’t support their family once their lose the only income they receive? Those who commit the crime should bare the consequences, not those around them.

Yes, those who have caused complete chaos across some parts of England over the past few days, disturbing people’s day-to-day lives and terrifying others need to be brought to justice (the only thing that prison sentences really do), but those around them should not suffer for other’s transgression.

From a party political stance, the Liberal Democrats should not stop talking about social justice and social liberty. As opportunistic as it may seem we need to show to the public that we do stand aside from the Conservatives who would just lock them up, from Labour who blame the government’s cuts and would just aimlessly throw more money at these ‘pockets’ of people who have been directly or indirectly involved with the rioting over the past few days.

This is an opportunity for the Liberal Democrats, but more importantly for government and the police to re-establish law and order, to re-establish policing powers and demonstrate the full ability of the law.