Nothing to lose and everything to gain?

We can all vividly remember the riots that hit London and other major cities earlier this summer. We can remember watching on our television screens the catastrophic damage that was inflicted on shops and businesses by individuals the Prime Minister called ‘thugs’. It does make you wonder who committed these acts of violence and what their motives for doing so were. New figures recently published suggest that those who were charged for the August riots were ‘poorer, younger and of lower educational achievement than average’.  So this raises the question is society to blame for its own demise? Remember there is no smoke without fire…

We cannot pardon those acts of violence, we can only try and search for an explanation so that we as a society can prevent them from happening again. The government figures show that a quarter of those charged so far in relation to the riots were juveniles aged 10-27.  That 35% of adults charged in relation to the riots were claiming out of work benefits. More than a third of young people who were arrested had been excluded from school during 2009-2010. Though most significantly of all the findings, was that three quarters of all those who appeared in court had a previous conviction or caution, demonstrating that either individuals had not received the correct help or advice following a previous conviction, or that they did not respect society.

Those who are vulnerable require support systems. The ClementJames Centre is a shining example of one. We encourage individuals to see the positives in themselves, and in society, and help them not to be consumed by the negatives. Thus allowing individuals to see that no matter what anyone says, there is always another option. The ClementJames Centre and centres like it are significantly important for the existence of a harmonious society as they can help those in difficult situations to make the correct life choices, by addressing the problem at the root before it flourishes into a more significant issue.

A sad fact is that all those protesting about society and how unjust it is, have now only made it harder for themselves, having landed themselves a criminal conviction.

So perhaps the government needs to properly investigate the root cause of why the individuals rioted, and assess whether there are enough support systems in place to help those in need.  Otherwise, there will be a situation where convicted young people have everything to lose and not a lot to gain.