Safe at home

Indiana's curfew law has been declared invalid and reworked so many times that most people probably don't know whether we even have one or not. We do (so far). Fishers is working to bring its curfew law in line with the state's, and Plymouth is working to make its even stricter than the state's.

The Plymouth Common Council is working on a measure that would fine youths $10 for the first violation and $25 for their second. Parents would be fined $50 if their child had a third violation.

"This is clearly intended as a parental responsibility measure," the ordinance reads.

Fining the parents might help those who don't care if their kids violate curfew start paying attention. May of the arguments against curfews come from many of those same parents, who say the government is trying to usurp "parental authority." But the kids go out into the public space, where they might not only create mischief but be the victims of it

The curefews have so many outs that they can't exactly be called draconian. To meet constitutional muster, either the state's or any city's curfew must makes exceptions "for children accompanied by a parent and for teens going to work, a school activity or a religious event." I don't think "praying to get lucky" would count as a religious event.