28 April 2007
ASBO and ISO for 10 year old in Tees
A 10 year old in Tees gets a 2 year ASBO. And an 'Indiviudal Support Order' . His dad got a parenting order. (Under the 2003 Anti-Social Behaviour Act a court has to say in open court why it is not making a parenting order when a young person is given an ASBO if it does not.)
An individual support order is a way of getting a young person into the clutches of the Youth Offending Teams.
The BBC shows Anthony's photo - the courts of course have been advised not to impose reporting restrictions in the case of children getting ASBOs. Blair (the mass murderer) has cited the case in presenting his decripid and neo-Victorian 'analysis' blaming 'anti-social behaviour' on 'dysfunctional' families. Blair told the Telegraph that the answer was not to give Anthony's father 'more benefit' - echoing and playing up to a tabloid image of 'benefit scroungers'. Of course the choice isn't between giving Mr Bird 'more benefit' (as if that were ever on the cards) or thowing a whole lot of authoritarian measures at his family and putting a small child's image all over the papers and the BBC.
His father said:
The authorities have persecuted a 10-year-old kid. If the magistrate hadn't let his name be published - he would just have had his Asbo and got on with his life.
Mr Blair is a problem Prime Minister. He should have looked into it more before he opened his mouth. No way is my family out of control. They have put Anthony across as if he's a tearaway, but believe me, he's a little angel, a good kid.
His father also makes the point that the CSOs are very quick to approach any group of youths. Thus of course creating some of the 60 'police incidents' that contributed to Anthony's ASBO.
Mr Blair is a problem Prime Minister. He should have looked into it more before he opened his mouth. No way is my family out of control. They have put Anthony across as if he's a tearaway, but believe me, he's a little angel, a good kid.
To his credit the child's Headmaster has spoken out in favour of Anthony saying that he generally behaves well at school and responds to discipline. This is interesting because it suggests that a personal approach works. One horrible aspect of ASBOs is the hands-off approach. Instead of a community dealing with a problem we leave it to the power of the state. The task of dealing with Anthony now becomes a lucrative one for paid professionals working for the state, or one of the private firms delivering New Labour's new discipline agenda. He may even receive counselling.
But - above all - how can the community where this boy lives be so dwarfed by a troublesome 10 year old that it has to become a court matter? Will they be invited to one of the surreal Together ceremonies organised by the Home Office (soon to be the rather Judge Dredd titled Ministry of ahem Justice) which celebrate ordinary people standing up to Anti-social behaviour? Standing up to a 10 year old? What has it come to that adults are being given awards for 'standing up to' a 10 year old - and that 'standing up' consists in fact of providing hearsay evidence so he can be convicted in court, have his photo splashed everywhere and have his life ruined.
The sensitivity of people - that they cannot deal with a naughty child - without calling in 'experts' is encouraged both by therapy culture and the ASB agenda. In both cases individuals and communities are disempowered as 'experts' take over managing community relations and personal relationships.
Links
Telegraph