Browse Sections

• Education
• Barlow's brief 
• Special reports

Youths breaching their Asbos are spared jail

Vic Barlow
18/ 6/2008

PROPOSALS from the Sentencing Guidelines Council suggest young offenders breaching their Anti-Social Behaviour Orders should be spared jail if they have been led astray by ‘peer pressure’ or claim to have unsupportive parents.

Yobs and thugs rarely act alone, making the ‘peer pressure’ excuse the perfect defence against a custodial sentence and the ASBO null and void.

New rules recommend a jail sentence of just six weeks for a typical adult breach. With parole and early release schemes most offenders will be behind bars for only a week.

The ASBO was introduced as the ultimate deterrent to anti-social behaviour. Following months of painstaking police work, and the courage of witnesses prepared to appear in court, the public were assured the resultant ASBO would rid the streets of anti-social thugs.

Thousands of law-abiding residents were persuaded to collect evidence and risk the wrath of lawless louts who would be locked up in jail should they flout the conditions of their ASBO.

This would finally bring solace and peace to embattled neighbourhoods but when push came to shove courts simply couldn’t control the behaviour of those who have no respect for the law, and politicians just didn’t have the guts to deal with the problem.

It may be argued that prison does not ‘work’ but it certainly brings relief to residents tormented and abused by prolific offenders. It now looks like even that respite is about to be taken away as the ASBO becomes just one more empty threat. Whenever criminals cross the line our politicians’ only response is to move the line. Do we have any political party willing and able to protect the law abiding from the lawless? I suspect not.

The views expressed on this page are Vic Barlow's and not necessarily those of the Express

Most recent 2 of 2 user comments