Wouldn’t It Be Lovely? : British Policy on Antisocial Behavior Can Take Cues from Studies Near and Far / RAND, April 2007
http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/spring2007/britain.html
Jennifer Rubin and Lila Rabinovich
"Antisocial behaviour is a costly and growing concern in the UK, with [the] Home Office logging around 66,000 reports of antisocial behaviour each day. Vandalism alone is estimated to cost victims and the criminal justice system around £1.3 billion ($2.5 billion) annually. Other commonly reported forms of antisocial behaviour include intimidation, drunkenness, begging, drug dealing, prostitution, rowdiness, graffiti, littering, and dumping rubbish in public places.
The British government has responded by introducing new laws and policy initiatives. They range from Anti-Social Behaviour Orders to cognitive behavioural programmes and parent training programmes. Research shows that punitive interventions, such as detention and imprisonment, tend to produce nil or even negative effects in reducing recidivism among young offenders. However, several studies from around the world have found that certain alternative interventions can significantly reduce the rate of recidivism."