How Effective Are Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbos) in Punishing Criminal Behaviour and in Deterring Criminality and Re-Offending? Essay Example
“How effective are anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) in punishing criminal behaviour and in deterring criminality and re-offending?”
In this essay I shall focus upon the issue of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs). Since ASBOs were introduced an increasing debate has been taking place over how effective ASBOs actually are at punishing and deterring criminal behaviour. I aim to examine whether or not ASBOs have been successful in punishing and deterring criminal behaviour, the ways in which they punish and deter this behaviour and the perception of ASBOs within British society.
Before we consider the above issues we should first explore what anti-social behaviour is and what ASBOs are. We must also identify the possible reasons behind the Labour government’s introduction of ASBOs. ASBOs were introduced under section one of the government’s Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and came into force on 1 April 1999. The Act defines anti-social behaviour as acting “in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household”. ASBOs are court orders which are designed to prevent these negative activities and prohibit specific anti-social behaviours . There are many different kinds of anti-social behaviours which cover a wide range of activities, including vandalism, begging and abandoning cars. The Home Office website(a) describes the ways in which asbo’s aim to prevent and control these anti-social behaviours, “An ASBO can ban an offender from: continuing the offending behaviour, spending time with a particular group of friends or visiting certain areas”. One of the reasons behind the introduction of ASBOs could be Wilson and Kelling’s ‘broken window’ theory (1982). Crawford argues that
In this essay I shall focus upon the issue of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs). Since ASBOs were introduced an increasing debate has been taking place over how effective ASBOs actually are at punishing and deterring criminal behaviour. I aim to examine whether or not ASBOs have been successful in punishing and deterring criminal behaviour, the ways in which they punish and deter this behaviour and the perception of ASBOs within British society.
Before we consider the above issues we should first explore what anti-social behaviour is and what ASBOs are. We must also identify the possible reasons behind the Labour government’s introduction of ASBOs. ASBOs were introduced under section one of the government’s Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and came into force on 1 April 1999. The Act defines anti-social behaviour as acting “in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household”. ASBOs are court orders which are designed to prevent these negative activities and prohibit specific anti-social behaviours . There are many different kinds of anti-social behaviours which cover a wide range of activities, including vandalism, begging and abandoning cars. The Home Office website(a) describes the ways in which asbo’s aim to prevent and control these anti-social behaviours, “An ASBO can ban an offender from: continuing the offending behaviour, spending time with a particular group of friends or visiting certain areas”. One of the reasons behind the introduction of ASBOs could be Wilson and Kelling’s ‘broken window’ theory (1982). Crawford argues that