What if what`s in place at the time isn`t actually sufficient? Most things (including sentencing) change/evolve to suit the prevailing environment. Maybe, just maybe these sentences reflect the the unusual outbreak of lawlessness, and the public fear that went with it, that took place last week. People that thought that they would probably just get an ASBO have had a rude awakening. I guess that the saying "If you can`t do the time, then don`t do the crime" applies here.