Acceptable Behaviour Contracts

Applicable to: England and Wales

Along with Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) have been available to the authorities since 1999 and can be used against anyone who is 10 years old and over. ABCs aim to protect the public from behaviour that causes or could cause harassment, alarm or distress, and prevent the escalation of anti-social behaviour. Examples of such behaviour are:

abusive or intimindating language;
drug dealing;
excessive levels of noise;
graffitti;
intoxicated behaviour on the streets; and
littering.

An ABC offers greater flexibility than an ASBO because it is a voluntary contract between the people engaged in the anti-social behaviour and agencies such as the Police, housing authorities or the individual's school. They encourage people to take responsibility for their behaviour.

There is no penalty for failure to comply, but this can be taken into consideration if an application is being made for an ASBO.

References
Crime and Disorder Act. (1998). The Stationery Office. London. (Please click here to access the Act online.)

Home Office (2002). A guide to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts. Home Office. London.

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