Firstly what is an Asbos you may be wondering? I know I was.

"In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (acronym ASBO, pronounced az-bo) is a civil order made against a person who has been shown to have engaged in anti-social behaviour. In the United Kingdom, this is defined as "conduct which caused or was likely to cause alarm, harassment, or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as him or herself and where an ASBO is seen as necessary to protect relevant persons from further anti-social acts by the Defendant".

I'm thinking this means acts of vandalism, public drunkenness etc...

Anyway on with the news bit:

York Dungeon Museum is offering free admission to people with Asbos so they can see the grisly punishment they would have faced in the 18th Century. Read on:

Bank Holiday weekend visitors who prove they have a current Asbo will be put in the dock to face an old-fashioned "Judgement of Sinners".

People who committed crimes such as graffiti or damaging public buildings in the 1700s were often hanged.

Museum bosses said they hoped the event would shock 21st Century offenders.

Dungeon manager Helen Douglas said: "What we're handing out Asbos for today are exactly the same sort of crimes that people would have been transported or even hanged during the "bloody code" of the 18th Century.

"While I'm by no means advocating a return to the punishments of old, I thought it might shock the Asbo offenders a little to see what would have happened to them a couple of hundred years ago".

More than 200 crimes were punishable by death under the "Bloody Code", which was introduced in 1783.

These included shooting a rabbit, adopting a disguise and impersonating a Chelsea Pensioner.

Hanging was the main form of judicial execution in the UK until its abolition in 1969.

Asbos were introduced in 1999 as part of The Crime and Disorder Act 1998. They were first used in York in 2000.

The Safer York Partnership, which holds the information on the current state of Asbos issued in the city, revealed that almost 75% of the orders were being flouted.

There are currently 41 orders in force and 27 of these have been breached.

Full BBC Article Here

Back in the day people would be sentenced to death by hanging for offences such as:

Stealing a pocket handkerchief

Horse stealing

Damaging a public building

Threatening violence to those in duty of the king

Offences against civilian residents

I'm not certain that the museum's plans to shock offenders will work, but it is a most interesting idea to be sure!