ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR:

Me and my Asbo

Asbos have become a byword for loutish youthful behaviour, but do the orders really work? Mahta Hassanzadeh and Mervin Martin ask four young people who have received them. When antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos) were introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act in 1998, no-one would have predicted how they would become closely associated with loutish teenage behaviour. The orders were intended originally to be issued to children and young people only in exceptional circumstances. But official government figures show that 1,555 - more than one in three - were given to 11- to 18-year-olds in 2005.

Some police forces and local authorities, such as Manchester City Council, have made heavy use of the orders, using them as a metaphorical slap on the wrist in their quest to reduce anti-social behaviour. But others have widely avoided their use, worried about stigmatising young people who may have complex needs.

Campaigning groups such as Asbo Concern and Liberty argue Asbos are too often applied inappropriately and not in accordance with the law. They believe that Asbos are frequently used to penalise young people for trivial behaviour such as kicking a football against a wall, or on occasion, in cases where more serious criminal convictions should be applied.

Liberty says that it is "deeply concerned" about the way Asbos are applied. "If individuals are committing crimes of intimidation or harassment, then the criminal law should be used to tackle their behaviour," says a spokesperson.

A report from the British Institute for Brain Injured Children in February also indicated that a disproportionate number of young people who have mental health problems or learning difficulties are continuing to receive the orders.

So far, little official evidence has been gathered to establish the effectiveness of Asbos in deterring young people from committing antisocial or criminal acts, although the Home Office minister Tony McNulty has pledged to look into the matter.

What evidence that does exist has highlighted major concerns about the use of the orders. A study published last October by the Youth Justice Board, based on 173 cases, concluded that often they are seen as a "badge of honour" among young people. Separate Home Office research shows that nearly one in six under-18s breached their Asbos in 2005.

Despite growing scepticism, some local authorities and residents remain convinced that Asbos work. Areas such as Greater Manchester have reported dramatic falls in the incidences of antisocial behaviour since the introduction of the orders and view them as an effective way of nipping problem behaviour in the bud.

So what do the young people who have been on the receiving end of the orders think? Here, we ask four of them whether they believe they are an effective measure in combating antisocial behaviour.

JAMES, 15, NORTH LONDON

James was given an Asbo a year ago for drinking and being disruptive in a public place. He didn't care and his family weren't that bothered. "My mum was angry for a bit but that's it," he says. "I was really annoyed because the order banned me from hanging around with my mates."

James says his attitude and behaviour have remained the same despite the Asbo. "An Asbo won't change me. I still go out drinking and smoking but now I just do it in different places and with different people," he says. "I'm a lot more sly about it now."

He's glad that he wasn't named and shamed in a newspaper, not because he was ashamed of his punishment but because he didn't want people knowing his business. Receiving an Asbo did change the way certain people acted around him, though. "Some people started treating me with a bit more respect," he admits.

So does he view Asbos as a badge of honour? "For some people they are," he claims. The experience has had almost no impact on James - going to court wasn't an issue: "I'd been to court with friends before, but it was the first time I'd been there for something I had done. The judge gave me some boring lecture that I didn't listen to."

According to him, Asbos don't really work. "Young people don't change just because they get an Asbo," he says. "They either don't care or they think they are some big man for getting one." waste of time."

RICKY BOYLAN, 18, SURREY

"I reckon they should stop giving out Asbos because people don't listen, they just go out and breach it again." So says Ricky Bolan, an 18-year-old who was issued with an Asbo for drinking and fighting and then named and shamed in his local paper.

The order prevented Ricky from entering Sutton Shopping Centre in Surrey with his friends and, if caught drinking or fighting there, he faced arrest and imprisonment. But receiving the order hasn't prevented him from committing further acts and he's been arrested twice since for breaching the contract. This led to a fine and being put on probation.

"Kids don't take Asbos seriously but the Government does," he says. "They should ban them from drinking instead of banning them from an area. Giving out Asbos sort of works because it stops them from causing trouble in the area, but they won't stop kids from doing it."

The terms of Ricky's Asbo also prevented him from mixing with certain friends and banned him from certain places. For Ricky, it wasn't just the order that was the problem but the upset he felt when his name appeared in the newspaper. "I was gutted," he says. "It's not right." The Asbo might not have made Ricky change his ways but he does think that in some cases they are effective. "It's 50/50 whether they work," he says. "But I think Asbos should be stopped."

RICKY, 19, EAST LONDON

When Ricky received his first Asbo two years ago for attacking a bus driver who wouldn't let him on the bus, he didn't think much of his punishment. His disregard led to him recently receiving a second Asbo, this time for attacking a security guard who, he claims, wrongly apprehended him and a friend. The conditions of the Asbo banned him from the shop in question and the surrounding area. Now 19, Ricky says the orders have given him "a second chance" and he was lucky he didn't receive an assault or grievous bodily harm charge.

But going to court to receive his Asbos was stressful. He didn't care too much at first but waiting to hear the judge's decision was an experience he does not want to repeat. "It's not a good feeling to know that someone gets to decide what happens to you," says Ricky.

At the time, he was already on probation and was relieved that he was only given an Asbo. "I saw it as a bit of a joke but other young people think they give them street cred," he says.

Looking back, he admits that Asbos are just not worth the trouble. He says the situation caused hurt and embarrassment for his family: "The only reason I felt guilty was because I didn't want to hurt or stress out my mum."

So does he think Asbos are effective at deterring young people from crime? "It depends on the person," he says. "I didn't care but now I can see it's not clever."

LISA MARIE, 17, SOUTH LONDON

Some young people who get Asbos think it's cool to have one, but there are others who think otherwise. "Having an Asbo is nothing to be proud of," says 17-year-old Lisa Marie from south London, who received an Asbo for six months after throwing bricks and being disruptive while hanging around with a large group of friends. "I felt quite angry because they told me I wasn't allowed to hang around with them anymore," she says.

Receiving the Asbo didn't really have a major impact on her life but it did prevent her from hanging around with certain friends. She was also wary of breaching the terms of the order in case her and her dad were evicted from their home. Lisa Marie had to abide by the contract that she, her dad, a representative, and a police officer had to sign.

She found some of the details of the order - such as facing up to five years in prison and a fine if she breached the order - upsetting and too harsh. According to Lisa Marie, her dad just wanted everything to be over so he signed the contract, whereas some parents write back and refuse to sign because they have no proof of their kids doing anything wrong. Her dad was quite angry that none of her friends were given Asbos and that she was singled out.

But Lisa Marie has decided not to let the order overshadow her life and is now studying A-levels at her local college.

Mahta Hassanzadeh and Mervin Martin
11 July 2007

http://www.ypnmagazine.com/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=full_news&ID=14859

 home / Previous feature