Does having a curfew really keep kids from getting into trouble? The stated goal of the average curfew also includes trying to prevent kids from becoming the victims of a crime. Teenage curfews are standard in many cities around the world today and many parents aren’t afraid to assign their own curfews as well. By evaluating the pros and cons of these laws, each community can decide for itself whether or not the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Here Are the Pros of a Teenage Curfew
It reinforces parental expectations.
Teens and parents have a difficult relationship as it is. By having teenage curfew laws on the books, the community can help to reinforce the expectations that parents have for their kids and give them tools for their parenting toolbox that might actually work.
It creates fewer opportunities for crime.
Since teens out past curfew are automatically subject to detainment, it means that kids will have a more difficult time committing crime in their community. The moment they step out of the shadows and are observed, they can be arrested and taken home or to a holding facility.
It may promote less teen drug use.
>Illicit drug use, drinking, and other bad teenage habits can be curbed a bit when the ability to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night is taken away. Although kids could still obtain items before or after school and take them home, using drugs or drinking at home is at least safer than doing it on a street corner with a stranger.
Here Are the Cons of a Teenage Curfew
The overnight hours of a curfew are not when most teenage crime takes place.
The most violent teenage crime tends to take place between 7-11pm in most communities. Kids are generally the most at risk of becoming a victim of a crime from the time they leave school until the time they head for bed at night.
It isn’t going to stop teens who want to commit a crime.
Some teens are known to drive over to other communities that don’t have a curfew in place so they can continue doing what they want to do. Others just snub their nose at the local law and stay out past curfew anyway. Although curfew laws give police the opportunity to arrest a teen in violation, the teens have to be found to be arrested in the first place.
It places restrictions on everyone.
Teenage curfew means that those teens who just want to find a good job to support themselves and their family can’t do it if the timing isn’t right. A curfew essentially punishes everyone because of the actions of a few.
By weighing the advantages and disadvantages of a teenage curfew, the possibility of stopping violent crime can at least be discussed. Is it the right decision for your community? By evaluating this information, you’ll have more tools to make an informed choice.
