Argumentative Essay

DO CURFEWS KEEP TEENS OUT OF TROUBLE? Do you literally know the real meaning of curfew and the history behind it? According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2010), the word “curfew” gives out two meanings; a commandment which prohibits individuals from going outside after a specific interval at nightfall and a period when broods must be home in the dusk. Curfew was originated from a French saying, “couvre-feu” which means “cover the fire” and back in Medieval England, it was mandatory for extinguishing fire (Bunting, 2001). Nowadays, curfew is a forgotten law. This is because young generation today tend to be braver to rebel than the older generation before them. It can be argued that curfews possess disadvantages towards teenagers. According to Tucker (n.d.), teenagers view curfew as a penalty that is being set by their parents, thus it causes them to feel irritated and unpleasant. They are prone to have such feelings because of the pressures their peers set upon them. Nevertheless, curfews do keep teens out of trouble as curfews encompass advantages such as reducing juvenile crimes, developing more disciplined teens and diminishing health risks caused by sleep deprivation. First and foremost, curfews can help to control and reduce juvenile crimes. According to Badrul Muzammil (2014), statistics show that there has been an upsurge of 57 percent on juvenile crimes involving teenagers in Malaysia, from 1042 cases in 2012 until 1632 cases in 2013. This shows that juvenile crimes should not be taken lightly by the government and the society. By engaging curfews, these can help to reduce juvenile crimes. This is because parents can monitor their children’s whereabouts thus this can help in providing safer environment for the teenagers (Brantley & Blumner, 1994). Curfews give less availability for teenagers to participate in juvenile crimes as they are bound by the rules created by their parents (Tucker, n.d.). Consequently, this can avoid peer pressure from