Riot response requires long-term solutions, not knee-jerk policies

From the whirlwind of reaction to the riots, here are some givens: the violence and looting was inexcusable, destroying households and livelihoods; young people were involved but so were adults; the majority of those charged were adults and yet sections of the media launched into a wholesale demonisation of the nation's youth; the perpetrators deserve to be punished but the sentences have been disproportionately punitive; and crucially, many young people, for whatever reason, do not feel they belong or relate to the society and the communities of which they are a part.

A multitude of root causes have been offered up: poor parenting, family breakdown, a dearth of youth services, jobs and training opportunities, gang culture, mass consumerism, and more. The Home Office branded the riots "criminality, pure and simple" at the height of the disturbances as restoring order was paramount. But just as it is absurd to settle on simple explanations, we have to move beyond the Home Office slogan if we are serious about avoiding a repeat.