Kids Out Late: Do You Support A Youth Curfew In Newark?

Do you support a youth curfew law in Newark?

On Tuesday, Newark officials announced that police will be enforcing the city’s decades-old night curfew law for minors this summer.

Newark’s ordinance dates back to 1943, when World War II-era families commonly had unsupervised children due to the war. Since then, it’s been technically illegal for people under the age of 18 to be more than 100 yards from their homes between 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

• See related article: Newark Is Enforcing Night Curfew For Minors

Newark isn’t alone in Essex County. There are several other Essex County municipalities with similar youth curfew laws on the books.

CEDAR GROVE

Cedar Grove’s youth curfew makes it illegal for any person under the age of 17 to be on any street or public location between 1 and 5 a.m.

Exceptions are made for minors accompanied by a parent or guardian, for “emergency situations” or for persons whose guardians notify the police department with written permission beforehand.

Violators can be taken into police custody until released to a parent or guardian.

Violations are punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,000 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or both.

See the full ordinance online here.

EAST ORANGE

East Orange’s youth curfew makes it illegal for any person under the age of 17 to “remain in any public place or on the premises of any establishment” from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

Several exceptions are listed, such as the presence of a guardian, the exercise of free speech rights, emergencies or if the minor is on their parents’ property.

Violators can be taken into police custody until released to a guardian, fined up to $1,000 and be required to perform up to 50 hours of community service.

See the full ordinance online here.

IRVINGTON

Irvingston’s youth curfew makes it illegal for any person under the age of 16 to “loiter, idle, wander, stroll, be in, play in or remain in a public place” from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Exceptions include minors accompanied by their guardians, travel to work or school or in the case of emergencies involving “health, life or property.”

Violators can be detained by police until released to a guardian, be subject to a fine and be required to perform community service.

See the full ordinance online here.

PROS AND CONS

Proponents of youth curfew laws say that the ordinances can help to reduce juvenile violence, gang activity and other types of crime.

But administrators with several North Jersey municipalities have begun to back away from the use of curfew laws, stating that such ordinances might be “constitutionally flawed.”

In 2001, a NJ Superior Court judge struck down West Orange’s youth curfew law when it came under fire from the local ACLU.

“It makes no sense to criminalize the innocent activities of numerous good kids, the proper response to juvenile crime is to arrest the criminals, not to place all law-abiding young people under house arrest,” stated J.C. Salyer, Staff Attorney of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey in response to the ruling.

“The police already have the ability to arrest juveniles when they break the law,” Salver added. “The curfew would have added nothing except giving police the right to arrest the innocent as well.”

Online comments have been divided on the merits of youth curfews in Essex County.

“If Baltimore can have a curfew, then why can’t South Orange have a curfew for teens?” one commenter wrote on MaplewoodOnline. “I personally very strongly feel a curfew will stop the hoards of teens coming into South Orange and taking it over on the weekends.”

“This would be another case of punishing the innocent (many of our home town teens) for the behavior of others,” responded another commenter.

File photo courtesy of LeoHidalgo

Do you think night curfews for minors are a good idea? Take the Patch reader poll below, and share the reason behind your vote in the comments section.