The concept of an ASBO is based on the naive assumptions that all police are good and that ASBOs make bad people good.

Simplistic comic book stuff. Tabloid even.

The Asbo is a tool for control-minded governments to gain ever more control over the public. It gives the police powers way beyond their purpose and function to serve the public.

And I bet no Asbo-supporter even CARES about whether anti-socially behaving youngsters grow into decent adults. They just want quick vengeance. This is where its appeal lies.

Herein is where you'll find the nastiness of governments like the last. They are TURNING one citizen against another. They are governing by FEAR.

The fact is, it's all the wrong people being issued with Asbos anyway -- such as the old man for making sarcastic remarks or the 60-year-old music teacher for feeding birds in her garden.

Let's support each other as citizens. Let's not fight each other. Because this is exactly what gives strength to nasty govenments.

Restore our freedoms. Bring back DUE PROCESS. The police and the government should be serving US.

Nah ,get rid of them. They are a badge of honour on council estates. Making them harsher or changing them will make them even more prestigious to the underclasses who gain street cred and make an issue of principle by breaking the asbo conditions for a laugh or just total disregard. Waste of time and money.

in reference to the above...

The concept of an ASBO is to stop the anti social behaviour of persons where police have no other powers to stop not stupidly assumptions that all police are good and that ASBOs make bad people good. It doesn't instantly make bad people good but it has worked excellently in my community.

The Asbo is a tool to help public have a better life and put boundaries in place for people that normally do not have any or any moral code.

As an Asbo-supporter i love hearing that with the help of ASBO's anti-socially behaving youngsters grow into decent adults. ASBO's are not about quick vengeance and they are not quick. There is no vengeance as there is only punishment on breach and not for all the prior issues. maybe that is where the reform should come in??

ASBO's do not turn people against people like an injunction does not turn someone against someone else.

The quote is "The fact is, it's all the wrong people being issued with Asbos anyway" Is not fact and there may be some strange ASBO's but the ones that are well done. The ones that stopped a group of boys making offensive remarks and entering the sport centre they caused hell in for a year. The ones that stop repeat abusive shoplifters go into town centres and have to leave shops if they are asked. and i could go on... not just the ones you read in the tabloids.

Support each other as citizens - I wish in this day and age, half of people do not know their neighbours, children don't play with neighbours children and most people spend their life on technology. If that was an even feesable comment, i would support it, but it just is not real life anymore.

ASBO's serve the public and give the police powers to serve us taking the victims rights into consideration not the perpertrator.

In our community - ASBO's are not a badge of Hounour stop reading the rubbish media and find out for yourself.

I have heard many people have turned themselves around after an ASBO and that is the best news ever, but if that is what it takes to stop this behaviour, give me something else that will do this!!

ASBO's are misused against the wrong people by the police, the housing organisations (who have their own anti social behaviour departments, involving high wages to their managers, their staff) even neighbours may comply with social housing orgs to put an asbo on a neighbour who is only different in some way but has no criminal record whatsoever.Abolish this bizarre New Labout Law! There have been frequent cases of asbos being used against entirely innocent people. This in itself is a form of discrimination and a clear injustice.The Anti Social Behaviour Act is a tool in the hands of arrogant, powerful and often stupid people!

political paradox never work to reduce overall harm

Please do not discard ASBO's. Yes there are too many orders, ASBI's (3 types), ASBO's, DBO's, PCO's CCO's etc. Maybe bring them all together with a singular order that is easy to apply for.

ASBO's do work. Ask those that are protected by them. They always work. They either stop the behaviour or they make the person accountable for thier behaviour, either way there is a positive outcome.

ASBO'S don't work.
Overheard a couple of idiots a few month's ago outside our pharmacy who were literally bragging about having them for causing trouble and noise on their estate.
They were no more than about 15-17years old.
One of them was even more proud of the tag which he somehow managed to 'pop off' and leave at home.Don't know what that was for.
He still had a raw ring mark around his ankle where it used to be.
He said that there was no way they (the police) would know about it because he could put it back on in a matter of minutes!
Anyone who thinks they do work are just naive fools and probably believe everything they read in the tabloids or hear on the news.
Criminal scumbags don't have any respect FULL STOP!
Punishment is the only answer, not badges of honour!
 

Absolutely right, JoeBloggs!

They don't work, get rid of them,

Get police patrolling the streets again, it's good exercise for them, particularly with all that chinese food they eat on night shifts.

It's a comforting sight, the best deterrent against crime there is and you can always find out what the time is.

ASBO's are expensive and don't work. Teenagers have always pushed behavioural boundaries, the trouble is adults no longer have the power to discipline accordingly without being made to feel like child-abusers! Give adults and communities back the power to deal with anti-social youth, as and when it happens, rather than give children the message that they can get away with it, get a badge of honour via the ASBO and can evade any real and immediate consequence from the people they have upset. Make them have to face up to the victims of their bad behaviour,apologise and make amends, rather than go through all this stupid rigmorole and procedure, which is highly bureacratic in nature, takes ages, is a drain on the public purse and doesn't work!

Agree,pdonohoe,asbos are a waste of time and make nonsense of the law but the facing up to their victims and the apology sound too Blair-ite for my liking. Let the law be as it was BEFORE asbo's came along. There was a crime and disorderly Act and there was law before the stupid invention called anti social behaviour. Teenagers have always been teenagers. It's their right to rebel. (The only time they can!)

There are no safeguards - the original idea was that a catalog of bad behaviour and harassment of others had to be collated.

Now any idiot can be appointed by the council to issue an instant fine of £75-2500 the original intention has been perverted

http://www.pearshapedcomedy.com/hansard.html
http://www.pearshapedcomedy.com/ban_history.html

RID OF ASBO for the sanity of the justice system!