NCJ Number
159574
Journal
Police Chief Dated: (December 1994) Pages: 59-61
Date Published
1994
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The juvenile curfew program in Little Rock, Ark., has been a success, in part because of the simple process used by the police department to enforce the law.
Abstract
Curfews were controversial when the law was proposed in 1991. The city attorney's office worked closely with the police department to develop a practical and workable ordinance that would allow police to remove persons 17 years old and younger from the street after 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. The law encouraged and even required parental supervision of juveniles who were out in court. The law also stated that a juvenile's second curfew violation would result in the parent's being charged in municipal court; a third violation wold require a referral as a juvenile in need of supervision. Police paperwork was kept extremely simple; officers must fill out 10 blanks on a one-page form. Upon arrival at police headquarters, a youth is turned over to a juvenile officer who contacts the parent or guardian. Police officers are enthusiastic about enforcement, because it requires little time. In the first 3 years, the city has picked up more than 1,600 juveniles; only 100 have been repeat offenders. An extension of the enforcement policy is to pick up school truants; a cooperative program with the school district provides for their placement into an alternative school. The department has also added a School Resource Officer, DARE, and midnight basketball program to give at-risk youth guidance and alternatives. During the curfew's first year, both personal and property crime declined, partly due to the curfew enforcement. The curfew does not solve all youth problems, but each step represents progress toward a healthy and productive future.