Riots could hinder progress in repairing Britain’s fractured justice system, minister cautions.
The hundreds of arrests following violent riots are expected to complicate efforts to rebuild the crisis-stricken criminal justice system, the justice secretary warns, as ministers begin to evaluate the long-term impact of the most severe public disorder in over a decade.
Keir Starmer is already under pressure to launch an official review into the root causes of the riots, which have so far resulted in more than 700 arrests. To date, at least 30 sentences have been issued, with nearly 120 suspects still in custody.
Hundreds of police officers remain on standby this weekend in case further unrest erupts.
In an article for the Observer, Shabana Mahmood commends the justice system for proving it could “rise to this challenge” in the aftermath of the violence, stating that measures are in place to ensure that any further lawbreakers will be pursued “until the last offender languishes in one of our jails.”
However, Mahmood criticizes the previous government for overseeing court backlogs and overcrowded prisons, which she argues left the criminal justice system vulnerable to the widespread public disorder seen over the past week.
In a candid assessment of the inevitable long-term consequences, she writes: “We must make no mistake. Rising to this challenge has been made harder by doing so within the justice system we inherited from the Conservatives.”
“Due to their failures, we now face record-high crown court backlogs. Our prisons were left so overcrowded that we had no choice but to release some prisoners a few weeks or months early,” said Shabana Mahmood. “The impact of these days of disorder will be felt for months and years to come. They make the job of rebuilding the justice system even harder.”
Mahmood’s comments come as ministers urgently hope that the violence, sparked by online disinformation about the identity of the suspect in the killing of three young girls in Southport, has finally subsided.
On Saturday, the parents of Bebe King, the 6-year-old who died in the Southport attack, revealed that their older daughter, Genie, witnessed the attack but managed to escape. They praised her “incredible strength and courage” and described Bebe as a “sweet, kind, and spirited girl.” Lauren and Ben King expressed that the overwhelming support from the local community and beyond has been “a source of incredible comfort during this unimaginably difficult time.”
In the aftermath, there are growing calls for an inquest into the rioting. Dame Sara Khan, who previously served as Rishi Sunak’s independent adviser for social cohesion and resilience, urged the new government to address the “chronic policy failings” that contributed to the unrest. Khan highlighted the need for a thorough review to understand why “some towns and cities did not erupt in riots or violence while others did.”
“Warning signs had been flashing red for some time, yet the last government failed to develop the necessary strategic approach to pre-empt and prevent such threats,” Khan wrote in the Observer. She emphasized the need for a robust counter-extremism strategy and for closing legislative gaps concerning extremist propaganda, “legal but harmful” content, and extremist conspiracy theories.
Khan further noted that extremism in all its forms had been neglected for too long by British politicians, stressing that “the challenge facing the new Labour government cannot be ignored.” She warned that the recent riots and the erosion of trust in the democratic model demonstrated the untenability of overlooking long-term policy areas like social cohesion.
Mahmood, the most senior Muslim in the government, shared her own fears following the far-right rioting, acknowledging the concerns of those who no longer feel safe due to the racism present in some of the rallies. Meanwhile, the prime minister continues to work between Chequers and No 10, having postponed a holiday to monitor any further disturbances.
Mahmood and other ministers are now assessing the inevitable impact on prisons, courts, community relations, and the police. Prison governors have already warned that a surge in inmate numbers could further destabilize England’s already overcrowded jails.
In response to the riots, ministers scrambled to secure an additional 500 prison places, on top of plans announced last month to free up 5,000 places before Christmas by releasing prisoners after they have served only 40% of their sentences.
Earlier this year, hundreds of court hearings were postponed at the last minute after ministers introduced emergency measures to cope with overcrowded prisons. Currently, there is a backlog of more than 68,000 cases in crown courts, according to the Law Society.
Mahmood stated that the unrest served as a “sobering reminder of how much worse things might have been” had the government not acted early to address the crisis in the criminal justice system. Starmer has also identified the crumbling prison system as a priority since taking office.
However, a Conservative source criticized Labour’s decision to release prisoners early, arguing that it was ultimately a political choice. The source highlighted that the Conservative government had expanded prison capacity and delivered 13,000 new prison places to ensure the continued effective functioning of the prison system.
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