In the UK, anti-social behavior has become a major political preoccupation of government, and combating it is now a major plank of criminal justice policy. Yet anti-social behavior as a concept has been little studied, and the notion has often been accepted uncritically. This book provides a critique of the government's use of the concept of antisocial behavior and of youth justice strategy more generally. Rougher Justice foregrounds the perspectives and experiences of young people themselves. It draws upon recent developments within the field of cultural criminology and is underpinned by research in three separate areas which focus on the new youth justice, youthful criminal careers, and anti-social behavior and acceptable behavior enforcement. Central to the book is an ambition to understand youthful delinquency from the inside and to recover what is lost in much of New Labour's youth justice strategyand the methods adopted by the Youth Justice Board to evaluate this strategy.