In the United Kingdom an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) is a civil order made against a person, as a result of persistent anti-social behaviour. The order bans a person from engaging in a specified form of anti-social behaviour, and/or bans them from entering a specified area. Breach of an ASBO can result in criminal penalties. Civil law has at least three meanings. ... Anti-social behaviour is that lacking in judgement and consideration for others, ranging from careless negligence to deliberately damaging activity. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that punishes criminals for committing offences against the state. ...

The definition of anti-social behaviour is wide-ranging. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980037.htm) defines anti-social behaviour as behaviour that "caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household."

Cases of orders have included:

• Vandalism
• Abusive behaviour
• Harassment
• Flyposting (see Sony and Bertelsmann AG)

ASBOs, at present, only exist in England and Wales (Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003) and Northern Ireland (made under separate legislation). They are also under consideration by the Scottish parliament, and may soon become law in Scotland too. To report vandalism on Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Vandalism in progress. ... Harassment is a term defined by law to refer to many types of behaviour that are found threatening or disturbing, and beyond those that are sanctioned by society. ...    This article is a stub. ... Sony Corporation (Japanese katakana: ソニー) (TYO: 6758), (NYSE: SNE) is a global consumer electronics corporation based in Tokyo, Japan. ... Bertelsmann is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gütersloh, Germany. ... The Anti-Social Behaviour Act is a law in the United Kingdom. ... Northern Ireland is one of four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ... The Scottish Parliament (Pàrlamaid na h-Alba in Gaelic, Scots Pairlament in Scots) is the national unicameral legislature of Scotland. ... Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ...

As of 31 March 2004, 2455 ASBOs have been issued in England and Wales. March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In a press release of 28 October 2004 [1] (http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page6532.asp), Tony Blair and David Blunkett announced further measures to extend the use and definition of ASBOs. The remit would include: extension of the witness protection programme in anti-social behaviour cases; an increase in the number of courts dealing with cases; an extension of the number of offences liable for fixed-penalty notices and giving parish councils the power to issue fixed penalty notices for infringements. The press release concluded by remarking: October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Tony Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... David Blunkett The Right Honourable David Blunkett, PC (born June 6, 1947) is a British Labour Party politician. ...

"In the past year around 100,000 cases of anti social behaviour have been dealt with. 2,633 ASBOs and 418 dispersal orders have been issued in the same period."

ASBOs remain controversial, as a person can be jailed for up to five years for an offence that would not normally be criminal. There is also no clear structure on the punishment an ASBO should contain; it is decided based on the nature of the offence.

In a recent example (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4297695.stm) of a less conventional use of ASBOs, a woman has been given an ASBO preventing her from jumping into rivers, canals or railways. This is because the rescue services had to rescue her from these places whilst she was attempting suicide. Rather than providing her with treatment or counselling, they gave her an ASBO, which means that if she attempts suicide again she could be sent to prison.

ASBOs are often linked with the chav stereotype. Look up Chav in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Chav is a derogatory slang term in popular usage throughout the UK. It refers to a subculture stereotype of a person who is uneducated, uncultured and prone to antisocial or immoral behaviour. ... For the term used in Computing, see Stereotype (computing). ...

A MORI opinion poll published on 9 June 2005 claimed that 82% of the British public were in favour of ASBOs, however only 39% believed they were effective in their current form. Mori (森) is a Japanese family name. ... Opinion polls are surveys of opinion using sampling. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/20030038.htm)
• Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980037.htm) (introduced ASBOs)
• Home Office overview of ASBOs (http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/asbos1.htm) (includes statistics)
• Examples of ASBOs issued (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3674430.stm)
• SchNEWS (http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news209.htm), a British weekly newsletter, has been covering ASBOs since April 1999
• Institutionalised spite (http://www.redpepper.org.uk/civ/x-apr2005-asbos.htm), article on Asbos and civil liberties
• "The war on yobs" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4252945.stm), a BBC article about the use of ASBOs
• ASBO Concern (http://www.asboconcern.org.uk/)
• ASBO Watch by Statewatch (http://www.statewatch.org/asbo/ASBOwatch.html)