Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs)

If the police, local authority, local housing office or Registered Social Landlord (RSL) have evidence that someone's behaviour is causing problems for the community, they can ask the person to sign an acceptable behaviour contract (ABC). ABCs can be given to anyone, regardless of how old they are.

An ABC is a voluntary, written agreement, meaning that it's not given out by the courts and it won't appear on a criminal record. It lists a number of things that someone can no longer do, like spending time in certain areas with certain people.

By signing the agreement, the person agrees to stop the damaging behaviour and to follow any other requirements of the contract. They may have to attend school or college more regularly or attend counselling sessions.

The agreement is also signed by the local organisation that wants to stop the behaviour. This may be the police, a local authority or a youth offending team. If the contract involves someone under 18, their parent or carer will also sign it.

ABCs usually last for six months and the local organisation will monitor the person who signed the contract to ensure the agreement isn't broken. If someone does break their agreement, the organisation will decide what action will be taken. This could mean extending the contract, the use of an |anti-social behaviour order (ASBO), or other measures depending on how the contract was broken.