Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said today that the Anti-Social Behavioural Orders (ASBO) he intends to introduce as part of the Criminal Justice Bill will be different from the British model.
Mr McDowell told the Oireachtas Justice Committee that the measure would be similar to the existing power to bind offenders to keep the peace.
He told the committee that ASBO's here would be different from the British model.
"The duration of the orders, unlike in the United Kingdom, will be for a maximum of two years, whereas in the United Kingdom, it's for a maximum minimum if two years," said Mr McDowell.
"The penalties for breach [of the orders] will be considerably less than in the UK with a maximum possibility of six months imprisonment."
ASBO's were first introduced to England and Wales in 1999 and last year in Northern Ireland and are civil orders rather than criminal penalties, but breaches are punishable by up to five years in jail in the North.
In the UK, they are handled by police and local authorities working in partnership.
The laws aim to deal with problems like underage drinking and vandalism, and can be applied for by police, councils and the Housing Executive to anybody over the age of 10.
