Community Based Curfew Enforcement Practices

If a municipality chooses to utilize a juvenile curfew to combat crime involving juveniles, they must first have community support and understanding of the ordinance. First of all, this means that the community should have ready access to city ordinances. A copy of city ordinances kept at the public library or other center with public access would be beneficial to the community. Also, parents must understand that they are to assist in the enforcement of the ordinance at the family level. Such assistance is accomplished by simply knowing the whereabouts of their children after curfew hours.

Law enforcement can involve the community in the ordinance's enforcment by informing members about the curfew law. One way to do this is to utilize schools and school resource officers. These personnel can inform students and parents as to the contents of the curfew ordinances and the consequences for not following it. In 1996, the city of Charlottesville, Virginia not only enacted a juvenile curfew, but also implemented comprehensive curfew programs that turned the nature of the curfew from a punitive one to an intervention process. These programs can include the creation of a curfew center or the utilization of recreation centers and churches to house curfew violators instead of detaining the juveniles at the police station. These centers can be staffed with social service professionals and/or volunteers. Law enforcement and curfew center staff can offer referrals to social service providers and counseling classes for juvenile violators and their families. Another necessary part of a curfew program should include exact procedures for sanctioning repeat offenders and such practices should be known to the community and used indiscriminately. Communities both urban and rural can use these strategies and adapt them to their needs and available resources (Ward, 2000). An intervention type strategy is useful because juveiles often receive their first contact with the juvenile justice system via status offenses and if problems can be addressed at an earlier stage, future crime or violence can be prevented.

After community acceptance, consistent enforcement practices are the most important factor in implementing a successful curfew ordinance. A juvenile curfew can succeed only if authorities enforce it in a consistent and fair manner. Law enforcement agencies should establish polices that describe required procedures that include guidelines for confronting potential violators, enforcement options, and also reporting and follow-up requirements.

In applying an intervention-oriented or community based curfew program, it is important that officers who deal with curfew violators to comprehend the various reasons that youngsters may have for violating the ordinance. Officers may find that some juveniles did not know they were in violations, others may be runaways in need of social or child protective services, while some may be repeated violators engaging in criminal activity. Officers should know all of their options for enforcing the curfew. These options may include telling the violator to proceed directly home, transporting the juvenile home, arresting and detaining or taking them to a before mentioned curfew center where they may be interviewed and referred to services as a intervention strategy. Even with these procedures in place, the use of officer descretion should be encouraged by the agency. Descretion is a very important part of enforcing a curfew ordinance as long as the officers actions are indiscriminate. Providing officers with appropriate options and procedures by which to apply them can aid in the equitable enforcement of a juvenile curfew.

Another way to develop consistent enforcement of a curfew is to keep accurate records. A complete record should include the number of juveniles contacted as a result of the curfew and the number detained, released, and summoned. Important notes for the officers to take at every encounter include when and where the juvenile was found, age, sex, race, reason for contact, and also whether the parent knew the whereabouts of the violator. Above all, the officers' report should include occasions where domestic problems or abuse contributed to the curfew violation.

The city of Charlottesville, Virginia used a follow up visit, letter or telephone call to the youths home which often prevented future violations (Ward, 2000). Accurate future research and assesment of juvenile curfews largely depends on good record keeping practice by agencies and officers. Such analysis by researchers and community members can help reduce enforcement disparity that may include gender bias or other discrimination. Even a rural community can benefit from community based curfew practices to allow for early interventions and reduce enforcement disparity.