Bed time?-- Curfew law

 

Have you ever considered following a curfew that isn't set by your parents? A curfew that restricts you from visiting certain places past certain times just because you fall under the set age limits? Sounds a little bizarre, doesn’t  it? You are referred to as a juvenile in constitutional terms and your age prevents you from venturing out past certain times. Why? The answer is simple yet thought provoking. The government places curfews on teenagers in order to reduce the effects of juvenile crime rates in the area. Many states in the US have now begun to imply this law to restrict the teenagers in their society, therefore ensuring a safe and cultured environment to the rest of the inhabitants. In Georgia especially, this law is updated constantly by the Judicial Branch of Georgia and the law ensures that if a minor is out after 12am on a weekend and 11 pm on a weekday, they face the accusation of violating the curfew law and therefore, they can be penalized. Vandalism, theft, cheating and speed driving are a few of the actions conducted by teenagers that have placed them under the watch of the adults in the society.  

The curfew law in Philadelphia

   By placing such curfews on teenagers, they are confined within their own homes after curfew which does not permit them to possibly break the laws of society. Adults believe that the adolescent years carry with it feelings of anxiety, nervousness, changing hormones and self discovery. As minors try to find their own identity and are in the process of self discovery, they also cope with the changes that they go through physically and mentally. Therefore, they find themselves in many pit holes as they express their bottled up emotions through accidentally harming the society in some way or the other. They are often not old enough to fully understand the meaning of conforming to the rules of society. But many questions still remain unanswered. Doesn’t this law take away what young people consider social life? Doesn’t it prove to be unfair for minors who actually do conform to the rules of society? Many believe that this law prevents teenagers from experiencing the real world in its true colors. The law also restricts teenagers from engaging in activities that they rely on for entertainment such as late night movies and parties. This strips away from them most of the experience of being a teenager and doesn’t allow them to experience the reality and life of being a part of that age group. Lastly, according to statistics “For every violent or sexual crime committed by a juvenile, there are three such crimes committed by adults against juveniles” Referring to this idea, it proves that age is simply a number and rarely determines a person’s behavior in society. 

A strike against the curfew laws

For these reasons, this law can be viewed as highly discriminatory by the minors in the society. This law makes the definition of a person cloudy because if adults are known to commit more crimes than juveniles, then why is it that the minors in the society are the ones who have to endure curfew times? Therefore, many people who are affected by this law have been speaking up against this law. This reminds me of certain heroes that we have analyzed in class who were not afraid to speak up and defend what they believe should be granted to them. In the movie Iron Jawed Angels and  The vindication of the Rights of Men, women like Alice Paul and Wollstonecraft respectively, sacrificed for rights to be granted to everyone and I see this strong correlation and similarity with the young people who are fighting against this curfew law as well, as they strive to push the law over since it has been proved to be ineffective in reducing juvenile crime rates.

 This video portrays the opinions of teenagers on this curfew law that has been set in their state of California.

     

References:

1. "Georgia Juvenile Crime Lawyers - Atlanta Juvenile Violent Crime Attorneys." Atlanta Criminal Defense Lawyers - Georgia DUI Defense Attorneys. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. <http://www.criminaldefensepros.com/Criminal-Defense/Juvenile-Crimes.aspx>.

2.  "Curfew Laws | Analysis and Argument | Pro-Youth Pages." The Pro-Youth Pages | Challenging Prejudice against Youth. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. <http://www.proyouthpages.com/curfew.html>.
 3."YouTube - A Teen Curfew Controversy." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrBgPoxgy1Q&feature=fvw>.