curfew 'k&r-(")fyu n. Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French covrefeu, signal given to bank the hearth fire, curfew, from covrir to cover + feu fire, from Latin focus hearth.  14th century.  1: the sounding of a bell at evening (the Curfew tolls the knell of parting day -- Thomas Gray)  2a: a regulation enjoining the withdrawal of usually specified persons (as juveniles or military personnel) from the streets or the closing of business establishments or places of assembly at a stated hour  b: a signal to announce the beginning of a curfew  c: the hour at which a curfew becomes effective   d: the period during which a curfew is in effect

Curfews have been around for hundreds of years. They're traditionally created by the upper class members of society to limit the movements of the lower class. The theory behind this is that crime originates from those lower classes, and this preemptive strike will limit the amount of crimes that they can commit. Essentially, it is assuming an entire group of people to be guilty.

Although the definition of the word may only go back to the 1300s, the concept of a curfew has been around far longer. For centuries, curfews were to be expected in cities that had been invaded. Of course, curfews for blacks were common throughout the south in the United States during slavery and afterwards, in some places through the 1960s.

They became popular for youths in the early 1900s. The curfew bell could be heard throughout America in former part of the century, the sign to teenagers and children that it was time to head home.

Curfews decreased in popularity over the years to come. Not many were actually repealed, they simply weren't enforced. But come the late 80s, they started being enforced again. Over the next few years, this trend increased. By 1995 curfews were being enacted at a maddening rate, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had begun to get involved, suing on behalf of affected children.

President Bill Clinton, in May of 1996, announced that he was supporting a new teen curfew policy. His policy recommended weekday curfews at 9:00pm for teenagers, with punishments of fines and court summons for parents of offenders. Though this was widely seen as a half-hearted election-year tactic, it gained a great deal of attention from both the press and lawmaking bodies around the country. New curfews were added in greater numbers than ever.

Many of the police chiefs and city councilors that got these laws passed a few years back are no longer holding their positions. They simply passed these laws because it was the trend. So it leaves organisations like the ACLU & fed-up parents to fight to have these casually-passed laws repealed. It is, unfortunately, generally far easier to pass a law then to remove one.

Some of these curfews have been tested in courts. Some failed the test, others were upheld. One case, Schleifer vs. Charlottesville, appealed their case all the way to the Supreme Court. On March 22nd, 1999, the Supreme Court denied their request. So curfews will remain a much-debated crime-reduction tactic until the issue of constitutionality is settled by the court system. Until then, a variety of tactics must be employed to make curfews impotent or remove them altogether from our lawbooks.