Curfew

Curfews, or restrictions on being away from home during certain hours, have been used throughout history for many different reasons. The word itself is believed to come from the French word couvrefeu, meaning “cover-fire,” which referred to the feudal custom of ringing a bell to signify that everyone should extinguish their home fires and go to sleep. As far back as 1068 and for almost 40 years, William the Conqueror established a strict curfew that would prohibit townspeople from gathering in the dark of night and possibly planning an uprising.

[Page 99]In the United States, curfews were used in the pre–Civil War period to ensure that slaves were off the streets by a certain time in the evening. Throughout the 1900s, curfews were imposed to discourage vagrancy, temper race riots, and control the movements of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. The temporary use of curfews, usually in times when the government has claimed an emergency justification related to security and safety, have been upheld by the courts. The use of curfews to restrict movement and activities of juveniles, however, has been more controversial. Such curfews have been more prone to periods of frequent use and then disuse as officials seek alternative measures to reduce juvenile delinquency.

During the early 1900s, authorities commonly used curfews. They were particularly frequent in urban areas, where it was believed that immigrant parents were not properly controlling and supervising their children. President Harrison (1890) spoke glowingly of the curfew as a way to protect youth from the sin and vice found on the streets. While the imposition of juvenile curfews waned during the civil rights era, recent concerns about juvenile crime and victimization have once again triggered a resurgence in the popularity of curfews. Today communities desperate to reduce delinquency, loitering, drug and alcohol abuse, and gang activity have passed curfew laws, many for the first time.