An Unnecessary Widening of the Scope of Anti-Social Behaviour? A Critical Examination of the Recent

Regulation over Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) has been difficult due to ASB’s controversial definition, range, and minimal age limit. ASB regulation is criticised as overly-inclusive with significant impact on children. Particularly, Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO) entraps young offenders within the criminal justice system for deviant behaviour. ASBO can also bring criminal proceedings, potentially imprisoning offenders as young as ten for non-criminal behaviour. By examining ASB’s legal framework in light of the recent Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, this dissertation analyses the current legal framework’s effectiveness to illustrate how practitioners may better address ASB.

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