CHAPTER 2 - The Scarman Report and explanations of riots

Abstract

The 1981 Brixton riots were not a rebellion in the sense of an organized attempt to overthrow the lawful government, for they were an unpremeditated outburst of anger and resentment against the police in a context of social and economic deprivation. Although Lord Scarman stressed that nothing could justify or excuse “the terrifying lawlessness of the crowds,” he found that reforms and improvements are necessary. In April 1982, one year after the Brixton riots, a conference was held at the University of Leicester to consider Lord Scarman's diagnoses and prescriptions. This chapter discusses the Scarman report and presents the explanations of riots. Scarman made a distinction between the factors that had, over the longer term, contributed to a high potential for collective violence in Brixton and a shorter-term precipitant that translated potential into actuality. Four major factors and one minor one were held to be responsible for creating a general potential for violence.