The Quiet Dangers of Civilized Rage: Surveying the Punitive Aftermath of England’s 2011 Riots

This article considers the state’s punitive response to the civil unrest that swept across England in August 2011. Surveying measures taken by police, courts, and politicians—including lengthy prison sentences, violent police raids, increased surveillance, and proposals for new benefit sanctions—the article highlights the targeting of disaffected young people, impoverished neighborhoods, and racialized communities. Considering these measures alongside the accompanying political rhetoric, the article argues that the state’s actions worked to depoliticize the riots and generate a narrative of blame that worked to rationalize the state’s own vindictive violence.