This paper analyses the consequences of the communicative properties of the anti-social behavior policy in the United Kingdom (UK).
This paper takes the opportunity to reflect upon the trajectory and consequences of the anti-social behavior 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 behaviors, perceptions of these behaviors have remained stubborn to improvement. In effect, anti-social behavior 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, the authors progress to consider evidence of the interplay between these assessments and forces impacting upon social (dis)connectedness in the UK. This enables the authors to demonstrate how the anti-social behavior policy suite underpins the intolerance of youth. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.