CYP Now - Antisocial behaviour reforms may see more young people locked up

Some may think of it as a harmless bit of fun, but thanks to a proposed change in the law, children could soon be criminalised for playing in the street, with far-reaching consequences for their ability to play outdoors.

Campaigners are planning to use the annual National Play Day on 7 August to highlight their concerns about how Home Office proposals could see children placed in custody as a result of simply playing outside.

The draft Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill intends to redefine antisocial behaviour as "conduct capable of causing nuisance and annoyance". Play activists believe this widens its scope from the current definition of "harassment, alarm and distress", and could easily be applied to children playing in the street.

Under the proposals, children aged 10 and above would no longer receive an antisocial behaviour order (Asbo), but instead a crime prevention injunction. The redefined test for the injunction is the same as for the current antisocial behaviour injunction (Asbi), which has been used with social housing tenants since 2003.

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