Curfew
A
curfew can be one of the following:
# An order by the
government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time. It can either be to maintain public order (such as those after the
2003 North America blackout and
2005 civil unrest in France), or to suppress targeted groups (such as the one
Adolf Hitler enacted on
Jewish people in
Nazi Germany). Curfews have long been directed at certain groups in many cities or states, such as
Japanese-American university students on the
West Coast during
World War II,
African-Americans in many towns during the time of
Jim Crow laws, or people younger than a certain age (usually within a few years either side of 18) in many towns of the
U.S. since the
1980s; see below. Some jurisdictions have also introduced "daytime curfews" that would prevent
high school-age youth from visiting
public places during school hours or even during immediate after-school hours.# An order by the
legal guardians of a minor to return home before a specific time, usually in the evening or night. This may apply daily, or is separate per occasion (especially concerning
dating), or varies with the day of the week (earlier on a so-called school night, i.e., if the minor has to go to school the next day). # A daily requirement for guests to return to their
hostel before a specified time, usually in the evening or night. Arriving later has the consequence of being locked out until the morning. It allows the hostel to dispense with a
doorman during the night, and improves quietness at night. Another way to dispense with a doorman, without curfew, is supplying a key to each guest, to take with them.# In
baseball, a time after which a game must end, or play be suspended. For example, in the
American League the curfew rule for many years decreed that no
inning could begin after 1 A.M. local time.#
LaGuardia Airport in
New York City operates a rule that after a certain hour, incoming flights must be redirected to
Newark Liberty International Airport in
New Jersey due to noise restrictions.
The word comes from
Anglo-Norman via
Middle English, originally an instruction to cover and damp down the fires before retiring, "couvre feu": a very necessary precaution when cities were filled with wooden houses having thatched roofs.
Youth curfews are "orders" from the government preventing children or teenagers from being in public spaces after a certain time. While in theory curfews are supposed to prevent juvenile crime from happening, teen curfews remain a controversial topic.
Some teenagers, like some adults, engage in illegal activities at night time. Advocates of curfews believe that forbidding teens to be out late at night will reduce teenage crime as well as prevent others from being victims. While proponents of curfews feel this may be unfair to well-behaved teens, they feel that this is outweighed by communities' responsibility to protect all of their citizens.
In addition to the obvious constitutional issues raised by youth curfews, opponents say that they are ineffective, as statistics show that most juvenile crimes occur between 3pm and 6pm (at the end of the school day), and many teenagers have little to do then but loiter. Some advocates against curfews believe that schools should increase investment in
extracurricular activities to prevent loitering in the first place. Some also feel the implementation of curfew laws would cause an added burden on parents who may not be free all the time to take care and watch over their children.
Teen curfew laws in the UK have been the subject of a successful legal challenge on human rights grounds, although the ruling is being appealed. [
1].
Singapore has also imposed a curfew of 11pm on teenagers or children below 17 years of age. Those caught receive a warning and their parents will also receive a letter. The move, which was made in
2006, was imposed to curb teenage crimes.
*
BBC Report on legal challenge to curfew laws
