ABSTRACT
The belief that crime and criminal justice must be packaged very differently by New Labour compared with the party's previous emphasis on social causes and social work-type solutions was one of the strongest elements in the preparations leading up to the 1997 election victory. Part and parcel with this package was the proposed ‘community safety order’ which later evolved into the anti-social behaviour order (s.1, Crime and Disorder Act 1998). It was the adoption of this phrase which launched ‘anti-social behaviour’ as an increasingly popular focus of public consciousness and the rationale for a series of further policies, structures and legislation.
