Teens 'demonised' by Asbo culture

Expert warns against using courts to tackle teenage bad behaviour

Sunday, 23, Apr 2006 12:00

A generation of British children is being "demonised" by being taken to court over anti-social behaviour, the government's youth crime advisor has warned.

Professor Rod Morgan, chairman of the Youth Justice Board, said too many young people were being given anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos).

He has called for a radical overhaul into how disorderly teenagers are dealt with.

In an interview with the Independent on Sunday, Professor Morgan said that if young people are being issued with Asbos, they will grow up with this label for the rest of their lives.

"There are adverse consequences of fixing a mark of Cain to a child's forehead. We should not forget the lessons of the 1960s and 70s of the labelling effect," he said.

"The argument is that if you give a dog a bad name then the dog may live up to the name."

Professor Morgan added that children were being sent to court for more and more trivial offences such as swearing in the school playground.

Instead, teachers and parents should be letting them know what they are doing wrong earlier on in life, he insisted.

"We are sucking into the criminal justice system behaviour which should be capable, and used to be capable, of being dealt with by informal, non-criminal means," he said.

More than 2,000 Asbos have been issued to children since they were set up in April 1999, according to the newspaper.