Two sides of the ASBOs debate

The young people who use the website are spitting blood about the issue...we feel that our civil liberties will be infringed upon...

Email in response to Patrick Duffy's article Anti Social Youth?

Patrick, you should see what the "Goths" get up to in Temple Bar, degrading every patch they inhabit with litter and graffiti. I live in a building next to where they congregate and we have to repaint the front nearly every week (not all of it, mind you, but the bit they vandalise). And that costs us.

And it's not as if they're "deprived". Most of them seem to come from comfortable middle class areas, judging from their accents. And do you think it's a form of "social activity" to set up African drums on streets where people live and are trying to sleep at 3am? Roll on ASBOS is my reaction ;-)

Frank

Reply by Patrick Duffy

Dear Frank,

Thank you for the response to my article, I greatly appreciate the points you've raised. In my hometown too I have seen ample evidence of pointless anti-social behaviour: Bus shelters riddled with graffiti, cars burned out and thrown in ditches and countless reports of old people being tortured by hooligans, and I can neither tolerate nor possibly ever condone such behaviour.

However, while I'm aware that certain people would cause trouble no matter how many facilities there are (like those Goths outside your building), I still believe that a lot of anti-social behaviour can be stamped out by improved community development. Over the years I've found in my community that a lot of anti-social behaviour is committed by young people who have never had much in terms of opportunity and simply don't care anymore due to their personal circumstances and often parental indifference, those who never knew any different way to act, and some others who are simply easily led by "cooler" boys. Of course there are the exceptions, but I believe that if you reach out to most of these kids early enough, then you can nick this sort of behaviour in the bud. It would require a lot of work, both from families, the community at large and the government, but it would, I think, in the long run be infinitely more beneficial to Irish society than Mr. McDowell's proposed legislation.

What it all comes down to is that the 99% of young people who mind their own business and get up to no harm, or better yet those who get out and do something for the community, feel aggrieved, betrayed and condemned by these ASBOs. Especially on spunout.ie, the young people who use the website are spitting blood about the issue. We feel as if we are being tarred and feathered with the same brush as those who commit anti-social acts, we feel that our civil liberties will be infringed upon, we feel that what work we have done for the community will be for naught. I believe if these ASBOs are brought in, it will not combat anti-social behaviour, only make it worse. If anything it will entice anti-social people to commit more acts, since they will have no lead to a criminal record, it could soon turn into a game among anti-socials to see who can get the most ASBOs.

Another point is that, as happened in England, the reasons for receiving ASBOs could soon get ludicrous; A woman in Manchester was given an ASBO for sunbathing in a bikini in her own back yard! In no time at all ASBOs will be affecting the 99% who are generally well meaning getting cautions for ridiculous things, a fact that would soon lead to further social disillusionment.

Anti-social behaviour is a deep-seated problem in this country, and in combating it we must take one step at a time in getting to the true roots of the problem. While I'm well aware that there are some people who simply cannot be talked to or reasoned with as regards their behaviour, I believe that there a lot who can, if we put in the work at ground level and help young kids to find other ways of honing their energy and potential before they turn to anti-social behaviour, then I believe that we can make this a better environment for all of us now and for future generations. To me, and a lot of young people in Ireland, ASBOs make as much sense as a doctor telling a person who needs a liver transplant to take two aspirin...

Once again I thank you for your comments and greatly appreciate you taking the time to reply to the article.

Yours sincerely,
Paddy Duffy

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