“Ms. Kahn, did you hear that the city government might institute a new teen curfew law?” asked Tanya. “No teens without escorts after 11:00 p.m. It’s so unfair!”

“I think people are just scared because of a couple recent incidents that have been in the news lately,” said Eva. “We went to a city council meeting to argue against it. But supporters invoked data from a nearby town where teen crime fell when they instituted a curfew law.”

“Yeah, it stinks for kids who aren’t doing anything wrong,” said Jamal. “But maybe it’s a good idea if it will keep teens safer. If crime decreases because of the new teen curfew, wouldn’t it be worth it?”

“Well, I’m not sure a curfew would actually make a difference,” said Tanya. “I heard the town they mentioned at the city council meeting has also spent more money on new streetlights and that they have new, stricter laws about alcohol. I bet their crime rates were already dropping anyway.”

“Yeah, it feels like the news makes a big deal about every crime involving teens to keep people watching and drive up their revenue,” said Eva. “That probably makes people feel like teen crime is rising.”

“Maybe you should research this question and find out the trends for teen crime rates,” suggested Ms. Kahn.

Tanya and Eva found the chart below from the Office of Juvenile Justice about juvenile arrest rates over time.

Discussion Question:

With a partner, brainstorm potential reasons why teen crime might increase or decrease over time. What other information would you want to know about this change before recommending whether or not a teen curfew should be instituted?