NCJ Number
228377
Date Published
2009
Length
251 pages
Annotation
After explaining why "antisocial behavior" (a label for a wide range of nuisance and petty crime) has become a focus of political rhetoric, legislation, and social action in Great Britain in recent years, this book critically examines current policies and their impact.
Abstract
The introduction of the label "antisocial behavior" into the realm of public-order enforcement occurred under the first New Labour Government of 1997. Since its introduction into the law-and-order discourse, it has acquired a life of its own in the public arena, assisted by an increased volume of legislation. "Antisocial behavior" has become a catch-all label for a local irritation or the presence of any persons who act in ways disapproved in the public domain. The elastic nature of the concept of "antisocial behavior" (ASB) finds no limits in the official definition given in Section 1 of the Crime and Disorder Act: behavior that "has caused or is likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress" to persons beyond the perpetrator's immediate household. The development of the legal instruments devised to control ASB and how they are applied are addressed in two chapters. These chapters argue that the marginalized poor have been the main objects of control, and the consequences are often disproportionate to the actions that triggered the intervention. Other targeted groups are juveniles, prostitutes, drunks, and beggars. Another chapter examines how the ASB agenda is implemented in various local authorities, with a focus on two study areas. A chapter discusses how the ASB agenda has been implemented in Scotland compared to England and Wales, and a chapter reports on the original research that examined similar ASB policies in the Netherlands and Sweden. Chapter notes, approximately 350 references, and a subject index