Existence of prevalence of issue and problem

Peace and order tops the wish list of every community and is one of the priorities
of every law enforcer tasked to ensure the well-being of the residents. However, a
community where every citizen can feel safe and secure without being incessantly
bombarded by noise or being caught in the drama of activities bordering on criminality
especially at a time when they want to rest and sleep undisturbed sometimes seems
far-fetched from the reality of some. More often than not, the youth tend to be the
alleged culprit of such disturbances and hence, are sometimes the focus of annoyance
and frustration of ordinary community folks as well as law enforcers. On the other hand,
they are also the object of concern and of well-meaning programs and ordinances that
seek to delimit their possible involvement in such troublesome acts. These troublesome
acts are often lumped under the common heading juvenile delinquency.
Some would say that children’s predisposition to delinquency is influenced by
socialization elements they encounter every day. Many young people use their freedom
to engage in things which they think well guarantee the happiness. Oftentimes,
however, those very same things adversely affect the community and contribute to its
problem.
For the sake of peace and order in the community, leaders and local authorities
continuously implement various laws and regulations. These are designed to make
community life better, quieter and more secure. In the same way, every country has her
constitution that states all her laws and regulations with corresponding consequences
should the same be violated. Likewise, each city has her particular set of regulations.
Even barrios or what we call “barangays” implement rules and barangay or ordinances.
Their purpose is to ensure the safety of their own people and maintain peace for
everyone.
An ordinance which has been designed to ensure the safety of the community
members, maintain peace for peace for everyone and which is still on-going in some
places is ‘curfew’. Curfew is a law enacted by a local or state government that restricts
certain people from being in public places at specifies times. It limits those people’s
movement since it requires them to be indoors at a certain time, most often at night. The
rule is implemented to impose and maintain public order.
Does the imposition of curfew eliminate youth crime or reduce youth engagement
in criminal activity? Is curfew ordinance an effective social control measure that makes
for peace and order in the community? Would other communities benefit from the
implementation of curfew as well?
The researcher believes that answers to these questions and others like it are
crucial towards a better understanding of whether or not curfew is a practical and
effective means towards achieving peace and order and combating youth crimes in the
community.
Talking about curfew inevitably brings us to the matter of young people and
children. Undoubtedly, they should receive utmost care from and protection of the
society. Thus, it is imperative that we be concerned for their welfare. The expression of
this concern should fall not only on the shoulders of the parents in the rearing of
children so that they become good citizens and productive members of the community
they are a part of.

Significant Impact of the issue to the locale or community

Curfews are not just a product of today’s contemporary society. The word curfew
comes from the French term, “courvrefeu,” meaning “to cover fire.” In the feudal era, a
bell would ring to alert the villagers to put out their fires and go to bed for the night.
Recently curfews have re-emerged as a popular option for policy makers in their
efforts to deter juvenile victimization and delinquency. Imposed on and off since the turn
of the century, curfews tend to receive increased attention when there is a perceived
need for more stringent efforts at social control. For example, curfew ordinances were
originally enacted in the 1890’s to decrease crime among immigrant youth and their
parents’ lack of control over their children. During World War II, curfews were perceived
as an effective control for parents who were busy helping with the war efforts. However,
juvenile curfews did not become widespread until the late 19 th century. In similar vein,
more recent interests in juvenile curfew ordinances came as a response to growing
juvenile crime during 1970.
Following the declaration of Martial Law, that then President Ferdinand Marcos
promulgated general orders. One of these is General Order No. 4, more popularly
known as the curfew order. He ordered that a curfew be maintained and enforced
throughout the Philippines from twelve o’clock midnight until four o’clock in the morning.
Among its desirable results was the significant reduction of the crime rate after a nightly
curfew was implemented nationwide.
The city of Naga likewise implemented Ordinance No. 2004-072, entitled “An
Ordinance Re-Enacting Ordinance No. 192, Series of 1958 entitled “An Ordinance
Prohibiting the roaming, loitering or sleeping of unchaperoned children below eighteen
years of age at late hours of the evening outside their domicile and providing penalties
thereof.” The ordinance is known as “Naga City Curfew Ordinance for Minors”
In addition, Batangas City declared Ordinance No. 16 S. 1999. This ordinance
was cited as “Curfew Ordinance for Minors Below 18 Years Old”. It applied to all minors
below 18 found within the territorial jurisdiction of Batangas City and imposed penalties
for violation thereof and for other purposes.
That there is such a need to ensure the welfare of locale populace, particularly
minors, is attested to by Article 139 of the Child and Youth Welfare Code. It provides
that City Councils may prescribe such curfew hours for children as may be warranted by
local conditions and that the duty to enforce curfew ordinance shall devolve upon the
parents or guardians and the local authorities.
 In like manner, the National Capital Region Police Office several years ago urged
local government units to strictly enforce the ordinance in curfew hours for minors amid
the cases of missing children. The parents were called on to be more watchful of their
children, especially those between 13 to 17 years of age. The NCRPO spokesperson
Molitas declared that intensifying the implementation of curfew will help them prevent
the disappearance of children.
Also, Section 458 No. 1 (V) of the Local Government Code of 1991 provides
among others that the Sangguniang Panlungsod shall enact ordinances to prevent,
suppress and impose appropriate penalties for vagrancy, mendicancy and such other
activities inimical to the welfare and morals of the inhabitants of the city.
The proliferation of drug addiction and vagrancy needs appropriate measures for
the protection of our children against exploitation, improper influences, hazards and
other conditions or circumstances prejudicial to their physical, mental, social, emotional
and moral development. The implementation of the curfew system can be one such
appropriate measure.

Significant contribution of the issue to criminology of criminal justice

professions.
Conventionally, Criminal Justice refers to the universal and policy aspects of the
field, including the exploration of policing, courts, corrections, and other worldly
applications. Criminology is regarded more as a behavioural or social science that
scrutinizes the causes of criminal behaviour and the social response to crime.
Adolescence is a social product that reflects the dominant attitudes, values and
beliefs of a society’s culture. Largely, as a result of urbanization and industrialization,
the society created the concept of adolescence and its accompanied normative
expectation in an effort to differentiate and regulate the social status, role and legal
treatment of people in the category from adult members of society. One of the results is
the prolongation of the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. Another is the
creation of a new form of social deviance juvenile delinquency.
In the history of criminal justice administration, among the early attempts to give
differential treatments to persons of tender years mention may be made of the 10 th
century monarch King Athelstan of England, who enacted a law that “man shall not slay
none younger that fifteen winters’ man. On the whole, however, a juvenile who had
committed an offense was dealt with as an ordinary criminal and it is not surprising that
in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the prevailing criminological theories favoured the
imprisonment of offenders, juveniles as well as adults were imprisoned.
Being one of the most interesting area in Criminology and Criminal Justice,
Juvenile Delinquency, which is defined as a criminal or anti-social behaviour of children
and youth, has been an emerging problem of the society. This should be given
considerable time to analyse and to study because of the damage suffered by the
victims and problems faced by the perpetrator.
 To address the prevalence of this problem, curfews are set by states and local
governments. They vary from state to state and even from country or municipality.
Implementation of curfew system is a tool used to shape and moderate behaviours that
is evident in the ordinances implemented by local governments. Hence, this study to
know the impact of juvenile curfew systems for an enhanced program and policy.