Youth Curfew Laws

[Oryx]

Throughout the world, there are various laws restricting the movements of minors at night. For example, no one under 17 in Iceland can be outside in the winter past 10PM. In addition, hundreds of cities across the US have enacted youth curfew laws. Philadelphia has a law where no minor can be out on a weeknight later than 10:30 PM. The mayor, when enacting this curfew in 2007, claimed "Young people do not belong on the street at 11 and 12 o'clock at night. No good things can happen to young people at that hour."

However, the effectiveness of youth curfews has often been questioned. There are many factors, such as the fact that the officer has to recognize a person as a minor and confront them, which leads to older-looking minors getting away easily and younger-looking people that are of-age being confronted and inconvenienced regularly to make sure that they're not breaking curfew.

What do you think of youth curfew laws in general? Are they something that's worth keeping as a deterrent both for youths to commit crimes and for youths to be the victims of crimes, or something that's outdated and needs to be removed?

Some facts and discussion on the matter: https://www.citymayors.com/society/usa-youth-curfews.html

 

[Livewire]

It's one of those things that sounds great on paper but flops in actuality. I'm not a minor, haven't been one since 2007, so I kinda forget the drivers license, pre-college days a bit. But a curfew law very rarely stops any sort of illicit behavior (Who's to say they're doing anything bad anyways) and it kinda goes unnoticed to most people anyways.

 

[Callīope1]

I don't think they stop anything..

They might keep a certain amount of kids inside, but my friends and I go walking late at night sometimes, and we always see kids out who are clearly minors. Technically it's safer for them to be inside, especially since more and more areas are getting "bad" within recent years, but that's true for anyone and not just minors. If people want to cause trouble later in the evening, they'll do it regardless of the laws. Adults are at risk too. Seemingly, most people ignore curfew laws, anyway. I forget they even exist, and it seems the same with most others around this area.

 

[Esper]

The curfews are designed to prevent crime, increase parental responsibility for their children, and give police greater ability to stop people involved in suspicious activity.

It's true that some kids do commit crimes, like vandalism, trespassing, and so on. It's also probably good if parents in general took more responsibility for their kids. These kinds of laws seem like a weak way of making things better though.

If you want to keep kids safe, and keep people safe from potentially bad kids, you have to have places for kids to go aside from school and home. I often see lots of high school kids hanging out in the parking lots of grocery stores in my town because there isn't really anything else to do or anywhere else to go if you don't have a car/money/etc. Of course having safe spaces requires money and effort and it's easier just to restrict people's movement.

So... I sympathize with the people who make these laws, but I think they aren't going about fixing the problem in the right way.

 

[Nihilego]

It seems like they're just asking for trouble here. I mean... kids who are gonna be out after the curfew are probably gonna be out regardless of if it's in place or not. As usual, if it's against the law, it becomes cool, and might actually encourage criminal activity in minors after the curfew's begun. And who actually makes sure that it's being followed? Are police just patrolling the streets all night? If so, it sounds sorta like it's a bit of a waste of police time to be on more or less empty streets and it's just brought about by the state (or whoever makes these laws) not trusting its own people.

If you want to keep kids safe, and keep people safe from potentially bad kids, you have to have places for kids to go aside from school and home. I often see lots of high school kids hanging out in the parking lots of grocery stores in my town because there isn't really anything else to do or anywhere else to go if you don't have a car/money/etc. Of course having safe spaces requires money and effort and it's easier just to restrict people's movement.

Aside from the streets, this is more or less what I always used to do and still do on occasion now. There was nowhere to go other than other people's houses or parks, car parks, etc. and the streets. Kids aren't even out to cause trouble - a lot of the time, they're just bored the way I see it.

 

[Esper]

Aside from the streets, this is more or less what I always used to do and still do on occasion now. There was nowhere to go other than other people's houses or parks, car parks, etc. and the streets. Kids aren't even out to cause trouble - a lot of the time, they're just bored the way I see it.

Exactly. They're bored and they need outlets. If they don't get them they're going to find some and they might choose something illegal or destructive.

Of course parents can help give their kids outlets if they can make time for their kids which isn't easy to do if you're a young and/or poor parent, but that's part of a different topic altogether.

 

[Shining Raichu]

I think youth curfews are a terrible idea. It is not the right or responsibility of the government to dictate when people are allowed to be outside. Even if well-intentioned with a view to safety and crime-prevention, it is an overt attack on basic liberty. The government needs to stop interfering where it doesn't belong.

 

[_CruzaComplex]

Curfews look good on paper, though they never really seem to pan out. I live in Small Town, USA, so we don't abide by a curfew (not that It'd affect me anyway, not being a minor and all). I can't put forward a better solution to the problem though, so my criticism is limited. I do, however, think that curfews are a tool of the desperate.

 

[Alex]

Just another age restriction right? It's pretty much the exact same reasoning that goes behind alcohol prohibition to minors. But that justification isn't enough for youth curfews. It's a breach of personal choice. If I want to then I can. Screw you and your laws. So I wouldn't support it. You have the smarts to stay safe. Do it.

Also, it can't be all of Iceland that has this curfew. Maybe all the major cities but...

 

[Oryx]

Just another age restriction right? It's pretty much the exact same reasoning that goes behind alcohol prohibition to minors. But that justification isn't enough for youth curfews. It's a breach of personal choice. If I want to then I can. Screw you and your laws. So I wouldn't support it. You have the smarts to stay safe. Do it.

Also, it can't be all of Iceland that has this curfew. Maybe all the major cities but...

It's part of their Child Protection Act, passed in 2002. English translation here. It's Section 17, Article 92, on page 25. So it is actually country-wide haha.

And who actually makes sure that it's being followed? Are police just patrolling the streets all night? If so, it sounds sorta like it's a bit of a waste of police time to be on more or less empty streets and it's just brought about by the state (or whoever makes these laws) not trusting its own people.

It would be no different than police patrolling the streets normally for crimes and such, they would just have something extra to look out for.

It seems that most of you are focusing on the "keeping young criminals off the street" and not the victim side. Is there a valid reasoning behind keeping young victims off the street, that may have the attitude of the young that they're invincible no matter how dangerous being out at night actually is? These are the kinds of people that would follow a curfew to begin with, so it would remove their ability to be victimized when most crime happens.

 

[_CruzaComplex]

It seems that most of you are focusing on the "keeping young criminals off the street" and not the victim side.

I live in one of the worst crime-ridden areas in the continental United States. I can't go a week without hearing "did you hear about so-and-so getting mugged?" or "what's-his-face almost got his car nicked the other day." I'm aware of these dangers and act to prevent them before they happen. It's an individual's job to do these things. If someone tells a young person to do it, it's "the government going too far" or "mom/dad being overprotective".

I do not agree with curfew laws. Law-abiding, intelligent citizens tend to take care of themselves by not putting themselves in a dangerous situation to begin with. I hate to compare it to this, but it's Natural Selection.

 

[Calipornia]

I have a question. What do you think about this scanario:
You open a newspaper. There's a big title that says "12 year old girl raped". You read the first few lines, and you notice "the rape occurred at around 4 AM, when she was returning home from a party".

Perhaps it doesn't apply to older individuals, but I wouldn't be so optimistic. A lot of my fellow students at school have mental and intellectual abilities of a six year old. Of course, that's just where I live.
The "where" matters. I've seen nothing else in this thread other than certain places with certain laws that limit certain ages to certain times. There's probably more to that.

 

[Esper]

I have a question. What do you think about this scanario:
You open a newspaper. There's a big title that says "12 year old girl raped". You read the first few lines, and you notice "the rape occurred at around 4 AM, when she was returning home from a party".

Not sure what side of the argument this is supposed to support. Is it supposed to mean that curfews would have prevented this from happening or that only "careless" people are victims of crimes?

 

[FreakyLocz14]

The only ones who should be setting a curfew are the kid's parents.

Curfew laws are nanny state policies, which I oppose.

If some kids are committing crimes, then they should be arrested, but those who do obey that law shouldn't be punished for the misdeeds of others by having their freedoms restricted.

 

[_CruzaComplex]

The only ones who should be setting a curfew are the kid's parents.

Curfew laws are nanny state policies, which I oppose.

If some kids are committing crimes, then they should be arrested, but those who do obey that law shouldn't be punished for the misdeeds of others by having their freedoms restricted.

Yes, yes, and yes respectively.

As for the twelve-year-old being raped after coming home from a party at four AM, scenario, why is a twelve-year-old walking home from a party at four AM? Her parents are obviously either idiots, or the girl is out without permission and got an unfortunate consequence to a stupid decision.

 

[Mana1]

As far as I can tell any kind of curfew 'law' is in effect there to encourage parents to reinforce it, rather than the police, etc. directly.

In essence it's there to back up the parents, support them and encourage them to know what their child is doing and what might be appropriate.

Although it doesn't mention it on that website, I assume it is OK to 'break' curfew if you are with a parent, therefore a minor can still go to a friends house, or a late meal out, or whatever - as long as they are escorted by a responsible adult.

To be quite honest I think curfew laws are fair, as long as they are not too strict or carry ridiculous sentences for those who break them.

 

[twocows]

It's silly thoughtcrime nonsense. If a kid is committing a crime, deal with it on an individual basis, don't prevent kids everywhere from going out at night.

 

[Illuminaughty]

These curfews could have unintended consequences.

Like when children are secretive about their alcohol consumption due to illegality issues curfews present a common dilemma of secrecy. When things are illegal, parents usually are compelled to disallow their children not to do something; consequently, children do illegal things without their parent knowing. Parent's do not know when their children need a safe ride home from a party rather than getting a ride from an inebriated individual, whether it be a stranger, friend, or themselves. Since it is illegal, children sneak out and their parent's have no idea where their children are or what they are doing.

If drinking alcoholic beverages was legal for those ages 13-17, under parent supervision or consent, parents would have more control and guidance over their children's health and prevent many but not all drunk-driving incidence. (Sidenote: Those 18-20 should be able to drink legally without parental consent).

Likewise, if parents do not know their children are sneaking out later than curfew, they will not know the whereabouts of their children and who they are with, in case of emergency.


With all that said, this only applies to parents that would allow their children to drink alcoholic beverages or stay outside late if laws were not enacted or enforced. The parents that set boundaries like no-drinking and early curfews without these laws will still face the same incidences of secrecy whether there is a curfew or not, which will mean little change of incidences for this group of parents/children. Therefore, overall, there is a net benefit for not enforcing curfew, underage drinking, among other laws that should be parentally controlled.

When I was 17, and in college, I was not allowed to go to be out with my other friends; usually I was never bothered once by the police, but one time I was mistaken for a high school student (which was enough to ruin my night XD). I had to call my mom and asked for a ride home at 11 PM. These types of laws are a nuisance, not to mention have unappealing consequences. There might be some laws that a required for minors, but this is definitely not one of them. There should be some limits and balance in parental vs. governmental oversight over minors lives; neither one can have complete power.

 

[Oryx]

Although it doesn't mention it on that website, I assume it is OK to 'break' curfew if you are with a parent, therefore a minor can still go to a friends house, or a late meal out, or whatever - as long as they are escorted by a responsible adult.

Just to clarify, there are often concessions made for if a child has a note from a parent, a job that requires them to work late, or something of that nature. I'm not sure of the specifics of every single law, but in Philadelphia it just says if you're doing something "at the direction of a parent" then it's fine to be out, or working, or in active duty in the military.

 

[Charizard★]

Speaking for the area I live in, yes I feel like they're helpful. Deters kids from going outside and beating each other up for no reason, and it helps keeping crime down to the minimum. Makes me feel a little bit safer when I'm around my own house at night.