Should there be a Legal Curfew for Minors?
The following should be considered even before answering the above question because such a question is so important to everybody in the society not only to the concerned age group but also every member of our communities. These questions come into mind considering the question “should there be a legal curfew for minors? “ First of all, what is the meaning of a legal curfew? And two who are minors? So once we answer the above questions then it is easy to conclude whether there is any need to have a legal curfew for minors or not.
Curfew refers to any regulations that require an individual to be at home by a certain prescribed time of the day, therefore in relation to legal system it can be defined as laws governing the conduct of people under the age of 18 years. It is enforced by parents in most families worldwide on their children ordering them at what time of the day they should be at home. The law can be used to make young people accountable for their behavior though this may not be accepted across the different communities. People will differ for this matter as everybody has his/her opinion regarding the same. There are major towns that have had curfew laws for teens but still there are people who still fight these laws claiming they are unconstitutional.
A minor can be defined as any individual who is below 18 years although it differs with t jurisdictions but it is generally 18. This age makes a distinction between childhood and adulthood. Years back curfews were aimed at keeping off young people away from streets in towns and cities. But nowadays curfew laws are made to solve many other social issues that affect minors. This is due to the increase in the number of crimes committed by teens and the fact that in this modern society parents have been defeated in curbing the behavior of their children.
Owing to urbanization and scientific development most young people finds themselves engaged in illicit behaviors such as alcohol abuse. Therefore there is indeed need for curfew laws to be enforced. There is also increased number of innocent children who may be involved in unintended violence therefore there is need for curfew laws to protect them.
Curfew laws are very important in ensuring safety of teenagers. It helps young people to be away from unsafe environment for example at night in a bar, drunkards may fight for being under the influence of alcohol unfortunately if a teenager is around they can be hurt for no reason. So it is very important for any parent to know exact time for their children to be indoors for their safety to keep them from any trouble. It is safer to drive home earlier in the evening up to about 9pm than at late in the night where are exposed to more risk.
Curfew laws are also very crucial in making minors be responsible for their conduct. This is because growing up is a process in which social rules are very important therefore creating a conducive environment for them is very important so that they may grow up as responsible adults. These laws are effective in high school to keep them from trouble. It also helps kids to be more responsible and trustworthy. At school students should be supervised at night not because they can do something wrong but because they may get into trouble and do not know how to get out of it.
In conclusion therefore, curfew laws are very important for teenagers for the explained reasons above, however there are people who still are not for the idea claiming that it is unconstitutional. This topic is so controversial in nature and it depends upon how individuals perceive it.
