Writing in The Guardian, Clarke said punishment alone is not enough, because locking people up without reducing the risk of them committing new crimes against new victims upon release is not "intelligent sentencing".
"It's not yet been widely recognised, but the hardcore of the rioters were, in fact, known criminals," he said. "Close to three-quarters of those aged 18 or over charged with riot offences already had a prior conviction. That is the legacy of a broken penal system – one whose record in preventing reoffending has been straightforwardly dreadful.
"In my view, the riots can be seen in part as an outburst of outrageous behaviour by the criminal classes – individuals and families familiar with the justice system who haven't been changed by their past punishments."
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