It's Community Payback Time: (UK) Rioters Must Clean Up Their Mess (& Meet The Victims), Says Clegg

[Turborama]

Source: The Independent (UK)

Deputy PM plans to make guilty face those whose property they destroyed – and tries to head off Labour call for public inquiry

By Oliver Wright, Whitehall Editor
Tuesday, August 16 2011

People convicted of last week's rioting and looting who are not sent to prison will be forced to do community work in the areas affected by their behaviour, Nick Clegg will announce today.

The Ministry of Justice is to order the Probation Service to arrange for Community Payback orders to take place on projects associated with the damage caused in the disorder or in the places where it took place. Many will also be forced to meet the shopkeepers, homeowners and businessmen whose property was destroyed in the rioting in an attempt to bring home the consequences of their actions.

Mr Clegg will today become the last major party leader to contribute to the debate on the causes and consequences of the rioting and will attempt to stamp a Liberal Democrat identity on the Government's overall response. Aides said the idea was to ensure that first-time offenders did not get "sucked into" repeat offending as a result of taking part in the riots, but had a chance of rehabilitation.

"Clearly some people are going to go to prison, but this is about ensuring that those who don't, contribute to the areas where they've caused the damage and those communities can see that they're doing that," said one senior Liberal Democrat aide. "We also don't want to create repeat offenders. Meeting victims has proved to be a very effective way of ensuring that people face up to the consequences of their actions and that's what we want to see happening."

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/its-community-payback-time-rioters-must-clean-up-their-mess-says-clegg-2338177.html

[socialshockwave]

1. That's the least they can do.

I'd be in favor of throwing them all in jail.

[jwirr]

2. Actually that is not a bad option.

[JDPriestly]

3. Sounds like a good solution for those without prior criminal convictions.

Young people who do these kinds of things have to learn that the people who suffer as a result are real and sometimes very wonderful human beings.

[fasttense]

4. I wonder what would have happened if the Wall Street banksters had

had to meet their victims and cleaned up their mess?

I'd bet there never would have been riots.

[bemildred]

5. You could even pay them, and then they would have jobs. nt

[starroute]

6. Restorative justice is always a good approach

I don't like the "heading off an inquiry" part -- but hopefully that was just the headline writer combining the two points and not any intrinsic connection between them.

http://www.restorativejustice.org/university-classroom/01introduction

Restorative justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused or revealed by criminal behaviour. It is best accomplished through cooperative processes that include all stakeholders.

Practices and programs reflecting restorative purposes will respond to crime by:
identifying and taking steps to repair harm,
involving all stakeholders, and
transforming the traditional relationship between communities and their governments in responding to crime. . . .

Three principles form the foundation for restorative justice:
Justice requires that we work to restore those who have been injured.
Those most directly involved and affected by crime should have the opportunity to participate fully in the response if they wish.
Government's role is to preserve a just public order, and the community's is to build and maintain a just peace.