The Effectiveness of Juvenile Curfews at Crime Prevention

Kenneth Adams
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Kenneth Adams: School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2003, vol. 587, issue 1, 136-159

Abstract: Juvenile curfew laws have become a pervasive and popular strategy for controlling juvenile crime. Public opinion is solidly behind the use of curfews, and the primary basis for this support is the notion that curfews make streets safer. This article provides preliminary results from a systematic review of empirical research on juvenile curfews, concluding that the evidence does not support the argument that curfews prevent crime and victimization. Juvenile crime and victimization are most likely to remain unchanged after implementation of curfew laws. Other aspects of curfew research, such as efficiency at detecting criminal activity, costs of enforcement, crime displacement, counterintuitive findings, and characteristics of curfew violators also are discussed. Finally, suggestions for future research are offered.

Keywords: juvenile curfew; juvenile crime; crime prevention; law enforcement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:587:y:2003:i:1:p:136-159

DOI: 10.1177/0002716202250944

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