CRIMINOLOGY ARTICLES

Juvenile Curfews are Not Effective

Juvenile Curfews are Not Effective

Curfews have flourished as a crime control measure for several reasons. In terms of broad political factors, there has been growing concern about the juvenile crime problem. Young offenders, specifically those fourteen years old and younger, have been described as the "leading edge of the juvenile crime problem" (Butts and Snyder 1997). Although this group accounts for only about one-third of juvenile crime, violent crime rates between 1980 and 1995 for this group grew at twice the rate of older juveniles (94 percent for juveniles fourteen years and younger, 47 percent for older juveniles) (Butts and Snyder 1997).

These observations led to widespread cries for more effective handling of young offenders by the criminal justice system. For conservatives, these concerns translated into more vigorous law enforcement, increased social controls, and harsher punishments. For liberals, these concerns were reflected in early identification of potentially serious delinquents, followed by intervention strategies designed to prevent development of serious delinquent careers. Within this context, curfews had something useful to offer to both sides of the political spectrum.

Another attractive feature of curfew laws is that they can be used as a means for identifying children who are at high risk for criminal offending and victimization.

Chances are that youngsters who are outside during the late night and early morning hours are not being supervised appropriately. Perhaps the issue is insufficient supervision by parents who are indifferent about their child's welfare. Perhaps the problem is ineffective supervision by concerned parents who have difficulty dealing with an unruly child. In any case, crime prevention goals are assumed to be advanced when curfew laws focus on the youngest children and are coupled with intervention strategies intended to improve parental supervision.

The law enforcement community generally favors curfew laws in part because they provide police with additional authority and opportunity to stop and question suspicious youngsters. In this process, police May detect criminal behavior that might otherwise go unnoticed. Even the possibility of being stopped and questioned May have a deterrent effect on juveniles who are contemplating wrongdoing. These crime control benefits can accrue in addition to any crime reduction effects that compliance with curfew restrictions May have.

Another attractive aspect of curfew laws is that they are a seemingly inexpensive way of addressing juvenile crime problems. While the actual costs of curfew enforcement depend on operational details, such as whether the violator is issued a citation or taken into custody, there seems to be a general notion that curfew enforcement can simply be added to the list of an officer's law enforcement duties without need for any significant increase in police resources. Some commentators, however, will point out that curfew enforcement, which involves a relatively minor offense, detracts from the time that an officer can devote to dealing with serious crime. While this May be true, the argument does not seem particularly compelling given a lack of information on how curfew enforcement operates.

Thus, curfews are attractive to a broad audience that encompasses a ...