AHA Focus: Curfews

Rockford IL News

On the HEM-Networking discussion list, reader Cindy Deutsch posts a newspaper article and rightly asks, "Is this a new twist on daytime curfews?"

The article in question is from the Rockford Star, in Rockford, IL. The article is titled "Littering Statute Clears Hurdle," and the curfew issue is only a side issue:

The committee also discussed a proposed daytime curfew, but delayed a vote until next week to give aldermen and city staff more time to tweak the ordinance.

Specifically, aldermen have questions about home-schooled children and the level of discretion police would use in stopping children.

City attorney John Gilberti is working with aldermen on potential amendments and said the curfew is not designed to target truants, but rather the crime that stems from having underage children out on the streets.

The ordinance, which does not establish a specific curfew time, would require children who skip school to attend counseling, as well as face fines and community service.

Parents could also be required to pay for their own counseling or perform community service and attend school with their children.

There's good discussion going on about this on the HEM-Networking list.

Curfews don't cut juvenile crime

Link: CNN.

Cable News Network article from 1998: A new study finds that curfews designed to get teen-agers off of the streets actually do very little to combat crime, as their supporters claim.

The Justice Policy Institute looked at the effect of curfews in several California cities and concluded that the curfews -- which have gained widespread popularity around the country in recent years -- are more of a public relations tool than a crime-fighting tool.

California: Communities with Curfews

Link: HSC.

From the online version of the helpful publication, "From Chaos to Confidence," produced by the HomeSchool Association of California (HSC): "The following communities listed below have or have had daytime curfews. Those marked with an asterisk also have nighttime curfews. This list is not intended to be complete, and may include cities that have repealed or no longer have daytime curfew ordinances. Please check your community to verify the accuracy of the information on this page."

Texas: Curfews Article

Link: Houston Unschoolers Group.

An article from the Houston Unschoolers Group site: "Even though curfews impact homeschoolers more than other children, we must be careful not to make curfews a homeschooling issue. Curfews are a fundamental rights issue and glossing over the real problem will only result in remedies that further erode our rights!"

Curfews History Note

Link: couvrefeu.

Excerpted from a long article on curfews at the "Teens are Not a Disease" website: "Curfew, which comes from the French word 'couvrefeu', or "cover the fire" has changed a lot since King Alfred of England (871-899) ordered everyone in Oxford to extinguish their fires and go to sleep when they heard a bell ringing. Nowadays, curfew laws in this country generally forbid anyone 17 and younger to be in a public place after certain hours unless accompanied and supervised by a parent or "responsible companion" over the age of 21."

Curfew News Articles from Youthrights.org

Link: Curfew News.

A collection of news article links going back to 2000, showing how many communities are dealing with the decades-old question: "Parents: Do you know where your children are tonight?"

Parents Challenge Juvenile Curfews

Link: The William T. Grant Foundation.

Downloadable program from National Public Radio. From member station WNPR in Hartford, Conn., Diane Orson reports on the more than 700 American communities that use curfews to keep teenagers off the streets at night. But curfews are unpopular with a lot of parents and kids.

Texas: Blanket curfews

Link: The Beaumont Enterprise.

Excerpt from the newspaper article: The daytime curfew only applies during school days, so kids can be out on weekends, holidays and all summer long.

Officials said the curfew doesn't discriminate. It applies to kids who are suspended, expelled or homeschooled.

"Someone who is homeschooled should still be at home doing their school work," said Don Fields, city manager of Bridge City.

American Civil Liberties Union

Link: ACLU.

From the web site: "The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty. We work daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Our job is to conserve America's original civic values - the Constitution and the Bill of Rights."

Many articles relating to curfew laws can be found with an advanced search at the ACLU site.

Being a Kid is Not a Crime

Link: A2Z Homeschooling.

Article by Ann Zeise, webmaster for the comprehensive A2Z Homeschooling site. Excerpt:

Neighbors, let's not make something criminal for youth that isn't criminal for adults. It's not much of a step to making it illegal for adults not to be in a work place during work hours! Don't make the library and parks "off limits" to the homeschoolers in this community during the day. We depend on these services, and we're out learning in the community during the day while other teens are in school. I know that a few young people have crossed the line and are under supervision by parole officers. These few that have blown the trust of the community should be the only ones to suffer restrictions. But their number is few, the rest don't need daytime curfew. We are all­youth and adults­free in this country until we break a law. Let the laws already on the books for criminal behavior, such as shoplifting, be what guides police for stopping "suspects," not just "skipping school."

Click the link above to read the entire article.