A curfew should, in theory, reduce juvenile crime rates. After all, if a teenager is kept at home, what can go wrong? This has been noticed that teens with no curfew were committing crimes late at night or early morning such as 1 or 2 a.m. Are the parents at home worrying about them or is it they do not give their teens a curfew which could “help” keep them out of trouble? Teens having curfews is a good idea but at the same time, an unreasonable curfew can lead kids to believe their parents do not trust them and they may even try to sneak out of the house. In this case, parents don’t know where their teens are, when they’ll be home, who they are with or if they are in trouble.
Setting a curfew can be good but instead of the curfew being set at exactly 11 pm, it would be better to set a curfew between 10:30 – 11:00 pm especially if the teen is driving. This gives them some lenient time to get home so they do not risk getting a speeding ticket or worse, into an accident. We know that teens sometimes wait until the last minute to leave to go home. Teens may require a little extra time if roads conditions are bad, need to drive others home, or stop for gas so the car is not empty for our parents the next morning, etc. There are many reasons for delays.
Most teens have cell phones today, and if a teen is going to be late, they should call their parents and inform them instead of rushing. This is just common courtesy and shows respect. Even parents call each other or their teen if they are going to be late picking them up or getting home. If a teen does call to say they are running late, the parent should not over react or become too angry or next time your teen might try to rush home and might not ever make it home. How would you feel then?
A curfew develops values within a teen. It instills responsibility and awareness amongst teenagers. If a teenage values the curfew law that means he/she understands the importance of it and its effect on society. The curfew law is enforced to keep teenager’s parents out of court arguing and saving money from the wrongdoing of their child. Studies show that 93% of cities that currently enforce a curfew law believe it is effective. The law also helps out cops because they are less apt to worry about children participating in troublesome late night events in the case that their parents are not strict and do not abide by their own curfew laws. Curfews are heavily effective within cities and states that value them. The law is a progressive sign in society that keeps teenagers out of trouble and is for the betterment of their life.
Over the past decade, juvenile crimes have been on the rise in many regions around the world. These have been attributed to an increase in drug abuse, media influences and negative peer pressure among the youth. As such, laws have been enacted to deter the youth from getting into trouble. In addition, parents have been advised to set curfews in order to restrict their children’s activities during certain hours of the day and night. Arguably, curfews help in the reduction of juvenile crime and victimization. However, opponents of this fact argue that curfews deny teenagers their civil rights.
In as much as curfews may not seem effective in deterring juvenile delinquency, they have played a pivotal role in fostering responsibility, respect for boundaries and effective time management among the youth. They ensure that teenagers understand what is expected of them and the consequences of noncompliance to those expectations.
Similarly, parents have obligations to ensure the safety and health of their children. However, they cannot monitor and supervise their children’s activities every hour of the day. Setting curfews gives parents an opportunity to establish a trusting relationship with their children. As a result, parents are able to know where their children are, with whom and at what time to expect them back home. Despite what the teenagers do with their free time, implementation of curfews lessens their likelihood of getting into trouble. This is because they are afraid of the repercussions associated with breaking the curfew. In the long-run, curfews play a significant role in deterring teenagers from getting into trouble. Simply put; the benefits of curfews as a deterrent mechanism far outweigh the costs.
Curfews make a significant impact on teenagers’ behaviors. They help parents to monitor their children’s activities and minimize the likelihood of teenagers getting into trouble. While some may argue that curfews are ineffective in the prevention of juvenile delinquency, there is supporting evidence that indicate otherwise.
Refrences:-
International Journal of Research (IJR) 