NCJ Number
176155
Date Published
1997
Length
38 pages
Annotation
The increase in violent juvenile crime in Washington prompted the 1994 Washington State Legislature to pass a law enabling local jurisdictions to adopt juvenile curfews.
Abstract
The Washington State Institute for Public Policy was directed by the legislature to study juvenile violence and other at risk behaviors of young people. As part of this research, the institute surveyed Washington cities with juvenile curfew/parental responsibility ordinances in 1996. The institute's approach was to review city ordinances and survey city officials regarding their experiences. In May 1997, the institute conducted a second survey to update the information. At the time of this survey, the Washington State Court of Appeals declared the city of Bellingham's juvenile curfew ordinance unconstitutional. In light of this decision, the institute issued a supplemental survey question concerning the impact of the decision on juvenile curfews in each city's jurisdiction. As of September 1997, 55 cities had juvenile curfew/parental responsibility ordinances, 28 more cities than in 1996. Collectively, these cities represented about 20 percent of Washington's total population. Of the 55 cities, 28 had parental responsibility ordinances in which the parent was in violation of the ordinance and was charged. Six cities had juvenile curfew ordinances in which the juvenile was in violation and was charged. The remaining cities had a combination of juvenile curfew and parental responsibility ordinances. Four cities that statistically examined the impact of juvenile curfew ordinances found the ordinances decreased the number of juvenile arrests, serious felonies, and misdemeanors. Supplemental information on cities with juvenile curfew/parental responsibilities and the survey instrument are appended. 49 footnotes and 2 tables