should teens have a night curfew?
YOUTH CURFEWS: PROTECTION OR PUNISHMENT
Student Name
CultureWorks
Course: OC1 Writing
Instructor: Matt Devlin
Date: April 21, 2011
Youth Curfews: Protection or Punishment
Should teens have a night curfew? Over the past several years, in order to reduce juvenile crime and protect teenagers’ security, youth curfews are widely used in the United States. More than 300 towns have passed the local curfew laws which provide local police and authority the power to order young people under 18years old to stay at home during specific hours unless supervised by a responsible adult (Raymond, 2010). For example, in one of the towns, people under 18 have a curfew from 11:00 p.m. to daybreak. In recent years, the idea of allowing governments establish curfew laws for teens has become a controversial issue in our society. Even though some people believe that youth curfews violate teens’ rights, including freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to travel, there is a great deal of evidence showing that establishing youth curfews can reduce teens’ crime rates, protect vulnerable children and create a safer community. (THESIS STATEMENT)
To begin with, youth curfews can reduce major juvenile crime rates such as violence, drug and alcohol abuse by keeping young people off streets (TOPIC SENTENCE). People opposed to youth curfews argue that curfews do not actually work. They indicate that there is no direct link between juvenile crime and the enforcement of youth curfew laws. Actually, being in the street or in unsupervised locations late at night often expose teens to drug and alcohol abuse. Several statistics show that most teen crimes and drug abuse often take place between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. One of the illegal drugs that are widely used among young people is called club-drug. Many youths at the age of 12 to 17 have used this drug at night clubs (Samhsa, 2011). Most of the young people could become addicted to drugs and alcohol if they
Student Name
CultureWorks
Course: OC1 Writing
Instructor: Matt Devlin
Date: April 21, 2011
Youth Curfews: Protection or Punishment
Should teens have a night curfew? Over the past several years, in order to reduce juvenile crime and protect teenagers’ security, youth curfews are widely used in the United States. More than 300 towns have passed the local curfew laws which provide local police and authority the power to order young people under 18years old to stay at home during specific hours unless supervised by a responsible adult (Raymond, 2010). For example, in one of the towns, people under 18 have a curfew from 11:00 p.m. to daybreak. In recent years, the idea of allowing governments establish curfew laws for teens has become a controversial issue in our society. Even though some people believe that youth curfews violate teens’ rights, including freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to travel, there is a great deal of evidence showing that establishing youth curfews can reduce teens’ crime rates, protect vulnerable children and create a safer community. (THESIS STATEMENT)
To begin with, youth curfews can reduce major juvenile crime rates such as violence, drug and alcohol abuse by keeping young people off streets (TOPIC SENTENCE). People opposed to youth curfews argue that curfews do not actually work. They indicate that there is no direct link between juvenile crime and the enforcement of youth curfew laws. Actually, being in the street or in unsupervised locations late at night often expose teens to drug and alcohol abuse. Several statistics show that most teen crimes and drug abuse often take place between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. One of the illegal drugs that are widely used among young people is called club-drug. Many youths at the age of 12 to 17 have used this drug at night clubs (Samhsa, 2011). Most of the young people could become addicted to drugs and alcohol if they
References: Budd, J. (2011). In Fall 1999 Human Rights Magazine . Retrieved March 13, 2011, from http://www.americanbar.org/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/irr_hr_fall99humanrights_budd.html Butterfield, F. (1996, June 3). In Successes Reported for Curfews, but Doubts Persist. Retrieved March 11, 2011, from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E3DC1F39F930A35755C0A960958260&pagewanted=all Bodenhamer, G. (1996, July 23). In Curfew Laws Benefit the Children of Neglect. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/25/opinion/l-curfew-laws-benefit-the-children-of-neglect-010260.html (1994). In Juvenile Curfews and Gang Violence: Exiled on Main StreetJuvenile Curfews and Gang Violence: Exiled on Main Street. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1341824 Raymond, S. (2010, September 23). In Golden Gate University Law Review. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1785&context=ggulrev&sei-redir=1#search="youth+curfews+are+widely+used+in+the+United+State.+More+than+300+towns+have+passed+the+local+curfew+laws Samhsa, . (2011). In Youth and Their Use of Illegal Drugs. Retrieved March 11, 2011, from http://www.enotalone.com/854-2.html (2010, June 17). In One in four children is 'victim of crime '. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7834746/One-in-four-children-is-victim-of-crime.html