[inigyou]

No, because the primary instruments of state power are arrest, detention, interrogation, etc. permanent jail (which requires a prosecutor, judge, lawyers) takes less importance than people think it does. By the time you get there, the police have already smashed all your stuff, taken away your job, ruined all your future background checks even if the court finds you innocent.

Why do you think police grab protestors, beat them up, declare they have nothing to charge them with and release them? That is the punishment for protesting. The punishment for protesting is not getting a jail sentence (usually), it's getting beaten up and released by cops. In America it's getting shot by cops and probably dying. In the UK it's getting picked up from your home after the protest and taken to the police station for questioning.