curfew debate
Curfews have been around for hundreds of years. They originated for the public good-to get youth offenders off the streets. Most curfew ordinances trace back to a public safety regulation imposed by Alexander the Great that required the residents of Oxford, England to retire and cover their fires when an evening bell was rung. (Ruefle and Reynolds, 1996) In the early 1900s, the curfew bell could be heard throughout America as a sign to teenagers and children that it was time to be home. In recent years, cities nationwide have expanded the use of youth curfews to address growing public concern about juvenile crime and violence. By reducing the number of youth on the street during certain hours, curfews are assumed to lesson the number of circumstances in which youth crime can occur. It also assumes that curfews reduce youth crime by deterring youths from being on the streets at certain hours out of fear of being arrested. Curfews have been a tool for policy makers to reduce ju! Most curfew policies require teens under 18to be home at certain hours at night unless they have a legitimate excuse or are accompanied by a parent/guardian. For example, the nighttime curfew imposed in Dallas, Texas, is as follows:
Drowns, Robert W. and Karen M. Hess. Juvenile Justice. Third Ed. Wadsworth, Belmont: 2000. There is an article involving teen curfew in Harris County, and by the end of the year, Montgomery County is going to be taking in effect the teen curfew law. It has been said by one of the local sheriff's that he is not going to be putting kids in jail but, it does not make sense for children 16 years and younger to be on the streets after 11 p.m. on the weekdays and midnight on the weekends. This county is not immune to the problems that larger cities portray such as Houston and Dallas but it could get bad like one of those cites if the curfew is not taken into effect. There have been some comments made by the student body and the teacher administration about curfew laws within their particular town. The school they attend is Mt. Tipton School in Mohave County. Here are just a few quotes by the favorable students. "I think curfews are good because parents know when to expect their child or children home," Calbertson said. "If the child is not home by the curfew then the parent knows something is wrong." However, there are many individuals and organizations that oppose proposed and existing curfew laws. Curfews are disguised as a mechanism to protect teens and reduce youth crime, but they unconstitutional, ill advised, and ineffective. The curfew assumes that crimes are evenly distributed by time and location, that most crimes are not committed by repeat offenders, and that denial of the opportunity to commit a crime decreases the number of criminals and victims. Many cities claim that the curfew is a useful tool for police officers. It reduces incidents of youth being victims by preventing gatherings and gang activities. It gave police the authority without question to tell youth that they cannot be out late without legal repercussions. During the first year of Cincinnati's curfew, juvenile arrests dropped 18 percent, and crimes involving a juvenile victim decreased 15 percent. In San Antonio, while juvenile arrests rose by 41 percent last year, the third year after the curfew was enacted in 1991, the victimization of youths aged 10 - 16 plummeted 84 percent. Chicago police would like to credit the curfew for a 42 percent decrease in juvenile murder offenders from January through July 1995, compared with the same period in 1994. Curfew laws distract police from more pressing issues and matters. Spending time targeting innocent teens out past curfew and transporting them to police headquarters and to their residence is an inefficient way to deter crime. Not only that, this is a waste of the taxpayer's dollar, a waste in which police do not need to continue. In a Survey by the US Conference of Mayors, 23% of cities with curfews reported that the paperwork, court appearances, etc. created additional costs for police departments. Mt. Tipton Ventures Issues #1. Online. 9 October 2000. http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/4191/ventures3.html "More Curfews, Less Crime." Editorial. The Roanoke Times. 15 January 1996. A6. Though in theory, curfews for youth look viable, they violate basic constitutional guarantees, punish
Some common words found in the essay are:
Supreme Court, Fridays Saturdays, Jerry Buchmeyer, James Fox, Ruefle Reynolds, Operation Timeout, Mohave County, Venture Issues, Conference Mayors, Brown Santana, curfew laws, youth crime, juvenile crime, mt tipton, curfew law, reducing youth, online 9 october, enforcement reduces, teen curfew, harris county, reducing youth crime, curfew enforcement, reduce youth crime, stricter curfew enforcement, 9 october 2000,
Approximate Word count = 2133
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
