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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent

Concern over ‘asbis’ after report finds people jailed for sleeping rough and feeding birds

Teenager dressed in hoodie clothing
‘People might have a lot of issues that need to be dealt with, but they’re not dealt with by sending them to prison.’ Photograph: Alex Segre/Alamy

Almost 250 people have been imprisoned for breaching antisocial behaviour injunctions (asbis) since 2020, with people being jailed for sleeping rough, begging, feeding birds and making a noise.

Analysis from academics at the universities of York and Coventry found that out of 242 cases examined from 2020-2024, there were 72 cases of imprisonment for general nuisance, 61 for abusive language and 51 for noise.

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