Asbo also ASBO

anti-social behaviour order: a civil order aiming to protect the community from a named individual who has allegedly caused major disturbance to others through vandalism, drunkenness, etc.

April 2005 saw the launch of a new alliance called Asbo Concern. To the uninitiated, this name might conjure up the idea of a charitable cause. However, it actually represents an alliance of professional bodies, including social workers, probation officers and solicitors, who oppose the implementation of a civil order in the UK.

opponents argue that there is a lack of clear guidelines on both the definition of anti-social behaviour and the punishment the order should contain

An Asbo is a civil order made against a person who persistently behaves in a way which causes extreme stress to others, usually through drunken behaviour, abusive language, vandalism, joyriding, etc. Asbos often ban named individuals from entering a specified area, and breach of an order can result in criminal penalties – even a prison sentence.

The Asbo has remained highly controversial since its inception, mainly because it allows the possibility of jailing a person for up to five years for an offence which would not normally be considered criminal. Asbo opponents argue that there is a lack of clear guidelines on both the definition of anti-social behaviour and the punishment the order should contain, currently only determined by the nature of the offence. One of the main criticisms of the Asbo is that it criminalizes people for behaviour which is not criminal – in an extreme case, an Asbo was issued to a suicidal woman, banning her from jumping into the River Avon because of the repeated inconvenience she had caused to the emergency services.

Background – Asbo

Asbos were introduced by the British government in April 1999, as a flagship of then Home Secretary Jack Straw's law and order programme. Though initial use of the term was as a capitalized acronym: ASBO (Anti-social Behaviour Order), the use of the form Asbo quickly became popular and has more recently prevailed as the main variant, used countably and in compounds such as Asbo kid/youth/teenager, Asbo thug/yob. Asbo is another example which reflects the general tendency in acronym formation to take those 'initial letters' which make for a catchy and easily pronounced word.

Update – Basbo

In October 2005, amid growing concern about pre-teenage crime and anti-social behaviour, the UK government revealed plans to introduce a baby Asbo, also referred to as a Basbo.

Aimed at children under 10, a Basbo could, for instance, involve banning a troublesome child from entering certain areas, or engaging in specified anti-social behaviour such as the use of abusive language. A Basbo is intended to be a lighter punishment than a full Asbo.