New laws which will force people to undergo drug treatment even if they have committed no crime have come into force.

Yes, you read that right, the phrases "new laws" and "...even if they have committed no crime..." actually took place in the same sentence!

ASBOs...What are they?

Well, amongst other things they are a way of criminalizing people who have not actually broken the law. We have been telling you for over a year now that this is the case and here, finally, we have the proof.

The Intervention Order is a new addition to the ASBO laws allowing police and "other agencies" (even town halls!) to force people into programs to stop them from breaking the law, without them actually breaking the law!

Let us put it another way:

ASBOs are civil orders that exist to protect the public from behaviour that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. An order contains conditions prohibiting the offender from specific anti social acts or entering defined areas and is effective for a minimum of two years.

And the important line there?

"...is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress."

Likely to? LIKELY?

Now, bearing that in mind, this only gets worse:

With the new Intervention Orders the ASBO landscape has changed once again. Let us imagine a scenario:

You get home from work on Friday evening. You have worked hard all week and you are meeting up with some friends to have a few drinks and then go to a club. It may be a ridiculous waste of that hard-earned cash, but what the hell, you earned it and you can spend it however you want to.

Whilst you are getting ready you decide to listen to some music. You turn it up a little because you are going from room to room and the stereo is not coming with you. It is not excessively loud but it is enough for the neighbours in your paper-walled, IKEA showhome to hear it!

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door and who should be there but a community support officer and the old couple from number 9. It seems that one man's listening volume is another man's sleep disorder!

You would offer them a cup of coffee but you are just getting ready and, well, it is after 10pm so could we just move this along?

No chance! The next thing you know you are up for an ASBO because the old couple have decided to tell the CSO that it has been the same for months.

And, just when yo thought it was as bad as it could get, you get slapped with an Intervention Order because they think that you probably take drugs too!

I am not making this up and all the information is available. However, I do have a confession to make at this point.

I wrote this article about 6 hours ago. My wife and I did the research, we found the statistics, the documents and the examples for you to read and digest but then two awful things happened...

1. Our computer crashed just as I was about to save the final version
2. The save file of the original was lost in the crash

This means that you are now reading the cut down version. This also means that you are, for once, going to have to do a little of the work for yourselves.

The information you require is all in this PDF file. The file contains three things;

1. ASBO statistics by local council
2. ASBO statistics by age
3. An ASBO application report detailing some of the more ridiculous ways in which ASBOs have been used

I hope that you will download the file and get to grips with the information. But, just in case you need coaxing, here are three of the "highlights" that might just get your interest:

• In 2004 an application was made in Manchester for an ASBO on a female prostitute. It was alleged she was causing a nuisance in Manchester by accosting men and generally causing offence. The Magistrates agreed to an ASBO. One of its conditions was that she was prohibited from carrying condoms within the given area. Unfortunately her drug clinic was within the restricted area and one of the services it provided was the provision of free condoms as part of its harm-reduction strategy. She breached the order, was put on probation and faces the possibility of prison.
  
  
• In May 2004, a 16-year-old boy was banned from behaving in an anti-social manner at school. The five-year order covers the whole of England and Wales and came as a response to his disruption of a science class.
  
  
• A 26-year-old homeless beggar from Birmingham was banned from begging in various car parks in Birmingham. He breached almost immediately and was, according to his solicitor, given 24 months custody. He was discharged earlier this year having served about eight months and was breached again for returning to begging and on this occasion got three years’ jail. His solicitor, therefore, says he received a total of five years’ imprisonment for an offence that itself is non-imprisonable.

Five years in prison for something that is NOT EVEN A CRIMINAL OFFENCE!

Now THAT is dictatorship!