EVERY junior Antisocial Behaviour Order served in Scotland has cost £500,000.

Fourteen have been served at a cost of £7million since they were introduced four years ago, the Scottish Government has revealed.

The cost emerged as community safety minister Fergus Ewing unveiled a new framework to combat youth offending.

It will place more emphasis on early intervention and prevention.

Mr Ewing told MSPs: "It is perhaps no surprise that their appropriateness and effectiveness have been questioned.

"The road to Polmont and Barlinnie is paved with good policy intentions."

The Antisocial Behaviour Bill, which became law in 2004, extended Asbos and electronic tagging to under-16s for the first time, while the police were given powers to disperse groups of young people.

Mr Ewing said an Audit Scotland report last year indicated that their impact in improving the situation had not been demonstrated.

He claimed that if £7m had been spent on creating more choices and opportunities for youngsters, instead of junior Asbos, the outcome "might be more successful".

But Labour's Cathy Craigie said: "When Asbos were issued it would mean that other methods and interventions had failed. It seems strange to measure that as an indicator of success or otherwise."

This was rejected by Mr Ewing who said: "We have to take into account the effectiveness of the expenditure of public money.

The government's new youth justice framework, Preventing Offending by Young People - A Framework for Action, has been developed along with council leaders, police chiefs, the children's reporter and Crown Office.

Mr Ewing said: "This government has clearly signalled our belief that to be effective, action to tackle offending and antisocial behaviour must be taken at the earliest possible stage."

Kelvin Labour MSP Pauline McNeill said the SNP administration had "already been sleeping on the job" in dealing with antisocial behaviour. She added: "You will let generations of people down if you do not fully commit to the concept of challenging behaviour."

Glasgow Tory MSP Bill Aitken said most young people were a "credit" to Scotland but a minority are "problematic". He added we do them and ourselves "no favours by failing to cope with the problems which they cause".