Punishments for Antisocial Behaviour

You can get a civil injunction, Community Protection Notice (CPN) or Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) as punishment for antisocial behaviour. 

Civil injunctions, CPNs and CBOs replaced Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ASBOs are still used in Scotland. 

Antisocial behaviour includes: 

  • drunken or threatening behaviour 

  • vandalism and graffiti 

  • playing loud music at night 

A court may give you a civil injunction or a CPN if it gets reports of persistent antisocial behaviour from the police, a council or a landlord. You can only get a CBO if you have been convicted of a crime. 

You can get a civil injunction or CBO if you are 10 or over and a CPN if you are 16 or over.  

What you have to do  

You must follow certain rules or you could get a more severe punishment. 

For example, you might need to:  

  • stay away from a particular place, like your local town centre  

  • stop spending time with certain people  

  • work on improving your behaviour, for example by going to a support group  

  • fix damage you caused to someone’s property  

How long it lasts 

The court will tell you how long you have to follow the rules.  

There is no maximum amount of time a CPN can last.  

How long civil injunctions and CBOs can last depends on your age.  

If you are under 18:  

  • a civil injunction can last for up to 12 months  

  • a CBO lasts between 12 months and 3 years  

There is no maximum amount of time if you are 18 or over. If you have a CBO it will be reviewed every year and either stopped or extended.  

If you do not follow the rules 

The punishment for not following your civil injunction is:  

  • a 3 month detention order if you are under 18  

  • up to 2 years’ imprisonment or unlimited fine if you are 18 or over  

The punishment for not following your CPN is a fine between £100 and £2,500.  

The punishment for not following your CBO is:   

  • up to 2 years in a detention centre if you are under 18  

  • up to 5 years in prison or an unlimited fine (or both) if you are 18 or over   

Further information on punishments for antisocial behaviour can be found on GOV.UK's website.