Curfews have been around forever, and in the beginning, they were created by the upper class members of society to limit the members of the lower class. The curfew theory behind this is that crime originates from those lower classes, and this premptive strike will limit the amount of crimes that they can commit (Brief 1).
In May of 1996, Bill Clinton announced that he was supporting a new teen curfew policy.
Clinton's policy recommended weekday curfew was at 9 o clock at night for teenagers. This was
only the beginning. Curfew is different from state to state and city to city. Government believes
this policy is effective, but it really makes no differenct (Brief 1).
Curfew should be abolished because they are hard to maintain. These laws do not affect
those who are going directly to or from a recreational event. They also don't affect those who
have to venture onto public roads because of an emergency at home. Adults can also send
teenagers out at night for a legitimate cause. A teenager can also be exempt from the curfew law
if they are with a responsible adult. Not all adults are responsible. Maintaining this is way too
much work. Many teenagers can escape them; they are useless (Vanwagner1).
Curfew also set a dangerous precedent for government involvement in the lives of private
citizens and their families (NYRA 1). Teenagers and young children are recognized as citizens by
the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." (Constitution). Although freedom of mobility is not...
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