Teen Curfews: Helpful of Harmful?
revenue | institute | incident | escort | invoke
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Do the Math
Do the Math
Option 1:
Option 1:
Many people who oppose instituting teen curfews at night present data showing that youth criminal incidents are more likely to happen in the afternoon. Only 15 percent of juvenile crime occurs during normal curfew hours, between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. What is 15 percent expressed as a fraction?
A. 15/100
B. 15/1000
C. 15/20
D. 5/100
Option 2:
Option 2:
Fines for teen curfew violations could generate revenue for local governments. In New Jersey, police can invoke the state’s curfew law to fine parents up to $1,000 if their child breaks curfew, which frustrates many parents. Camden County had the highest rate of teen curfew violations in New Jersey, with 1,850 violations in 2013 and 898 violations in 2016. Write an equation to show how much less revenue Camden County generated from teen curfew violations in 2016 compared to 2013. Let f represent the average fine paid by parents and d represent the total decrease in revenue.
Discussion Question:
Discussion Question:
When kids are caught violating curfew, it simply means they are outside unsupervised at night. It does not necessarily mean they are committing a crime or have the intention to commit a crime. Some parents or guardians work jobs with late hours and are not at home to monitor or escort their children late at night. Additionally, teens with only one parent or guardian living at home are more likely to be on their own. Is it unfair to target teens whose only crime is going outside without an escort? Should parents be responsible for paying a fine, even if they weren’t home to stop their teen from violating the curfew because of work?
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