ASBOs fail
More than half of ASBO recipients reoffend.
That statement sounds bad but it is easy to forget to equate the breach of an ASBO with the continued ruining of someone's life. Tony McNulty was on Today this morning on BBC Radio 4 telling us we couldn't have it both ways. Apparently, we cannot complain about a confetti of ASBOs at the same time as wanting to come down hard on antisocial behaviour.
He also gave us some fascinating statistics that tell us that 93% of people stop reoffending before being given an ASBO which suggests ASBOs are a form of last resort.
In that case our government is tolerating crime to a point where most people realise their mistakes and are able to start participating in society. And those that cannot get an ASBO...
Shouldn't the last resort – those people who persistently reoffend – be locked up to protect us from them? Am I mad to think that the last resort ought to be something more than ineffective paper?
That statement sounds bad but it is easy to forget to equate the breach of an ASBO with the continued ruining of someone's life. Tony McNulty was on Today this morning on BBC Radio 4 telling us we couldn't have it both ways. Apparently, we cannot complain about a confetti of ASBOs at the same time as wanting to come down hard on antisocial behaviour.
He also gave us some fascinating statistics that tell us that 93% of people stop reoffending before being given an ASBO which suggests ASBOs are a form of last resort.
In that case our government is tolerating crime to a point where most people realise their mistakes and are able to start participating in society. And those that cannot get an ASBO...
Shouldn't the last resort – those people who persistently reoffend – be locked up to protect us from them? Am I mad to think that the last resort ought to be something more than ineffective paper?