Overcoming intolerance to young people’s conduct: Implications from the unintended consequences of policy in the UK

Abstract

This paper takes the opportunity to reflect upon the trajectory and consequences of the anti-social behaviour policy framework in the United Kingdom (UK) from its inception to date. It contends that despite, and paradoxically because of, the interventions launched to confront anti-social behaviours, perceptions of these behaviours have remained stubborn to improvement. In effect, anti-social behaviour policy has fed negative stereotypes of youth and positioned young people as a metaphor for deeper social malaise. The paper suggests a theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms through which this perverse consequence has been realized. This task is facilitated conceptually through an exploration of the meaning of tolerance and the considerations that inform (in)tolerant assessments by citizens. Further, we progress to consider evidence of the interplay between these assessments and forces impacting upon social (dis)connectedness in the UK. This enables us to demonstrate how the anti-social behaviour policy suite underpins the intolerance of youth.