Alcoholic - ASBO - ASBO breached - Prison ..... where next ?

Jennifer F, 44, living in sheltered accommodation said to be suffering from mental health problems has been jailed for 4 weeks after breaching an Anti-Social Behaviour Order. She is believed to be the first person in Oxford to be imprisoned for breaching an order by drinking alcohol in the city centre. (Feb 2005)

Oxford City Council had applied for an interim ASBO after F was accused of intimidating behaviour towards elderly neighbours in her council accommodation on Whitehouse Road, shouting and screaming abusively and attempting at least one physical attack.

Dennis Kavanagh, prosecuting, accused her of twice flouting the city-wide drinking ban, Ford's defence lawyer Simon Graham-Harrison described her as "a hapless individual with mental health problems."

"In this case, an ASBO was simply not an appropriate way to deal with what is a serious issue. Whether Ms Ford has mental problems or not, she is clearly an alcoholic, whose problems need to be dealt with constructively to prevent the whole scenario occurring again." says Doug Jewell, Liberty Campaigns Co-ordinator.

Steve Kilsby from the Neighbourhood Renewal Business Unit at the City Council, said, "We're all very sympathetic to her case but she was causing extreme distress to other residents.

The cost of keeping this woman in prison ? The chances of re-offending?