MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 04/08/2012 ( 20 moms have responded )
3,377
8
Should young people be subjected to night-time curfews as a way to reduce crime?
Youth curfews are widely used in the USA to keep children off the street at night; a state of curfew makes it illegal to be out of doors between certain publicised times. In the USA over 300 individual towns have passed local curfew laws that vary in detail, but are all aimed at reducing juvenile crime and gang activity. In Britain a 1998 law allowed local councils to impose curfews for all children under ten, although none has yet chosen to do so. In defining the motion the proposition should think about the age groups at which the curfew is aimed, the hours it would operate, the penalties for offenders and any possible exceptions, for example, is it permitted to be out in the company of an adult?
I absolutely think it is a great idea. I have a set curfew for my daughter. She must be in the house by 8:30pm weekdays and 9:30pm weekends. She is going on 14 and I do not see these times changing anytime soon. I am required and responsible for ensuring she is safe.
I know and see way too many young children walking the streets late at night. I have witnessed, on several occasion, children as young as 7, walking the streets at midnight. I always ask myself, "where the hell are their parents and why are they allowing them out this late?".
I think if there was a curfew, those neglectful parents that fail to care what their young child or teen is doing while running around at all hours of the night, would have no choice but to know. The curfew would help protect these children, since their parents are not. Someone needs to help them and give them a sense of security.
I do think it helps with crime. Most crime occurs at night. People like the cover of darkness. Youth crime is growing rapidly.
Some would say this is an infringement on the child's individual rights. That a curfew suggests that ALL children are potential law breakers and should not be underminded as such.
I say, there is no reason for a child to be running the streets without an adult supervisor. What is a reason a child needs to be out alone, after 10pm? I can see mid-teens that work, this should be an exception to the rule. There, of course would need to be other exceptions. Perhaps, a later curfew from age 14 and above.
You can typically tell what they are doing. Whether they are up to no good or are innocently trying to get from point A to point B. However, even then, I would be picking my child up from a late night at work.
Thoughts? Do you think a youth curfew makes sense or is a crock, that would or would not help with youth crime?
20 Comments
View replies by