
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 27, 1995                   TAG: 9502270048
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ENFORCEMENT IS CASE-BY-CASE

Roanoke passed its curfew ordinance nearly three years ago after a citizens' committee recommended an update of the old city law. Members of the committee agreed there needed to be tougher penalties for children who stay out late and roam city streets.

The old law required juveniles to be off the streets by 10 p.m. The new law requires youths 16 and younger to be off the streets by 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight Friday through Sunday.

But there are exceptions. Juveniles can be out after curfew if they are running errands for their parents, responding to emergencies, traveling to or from work, or attending religious services or civic activities.

After two violations, parents can be charged with the misdemeanor of allowing their child to break curfew. The ordinance is enforced with discretion, often on a case-by-case basis, Roanoke police say. Since it was enacted, about 450 citations have been issued. Nearly two-thirds were issued to juveniles who also were charged with other offenses.

Patricia Holdaway is the only parent ever arrested in Roanoke on a charge of allowing a child to break curfew.

Holding parents accountable for their children's actions is not a new idea, said Roanoke County Juvenile Court Judge Philip Trompeter.

"The issue of parental involvement has regularly been a theme in juvenile court, each day," he said. For instance, parents are held accountable if their child is truant from school. The expanded curfew ordinance "is just a new twist to it," he said.

Can a parent really be forced to be responsible? Probably not, authorities say. But these types of laws "help to set a community norm that we're concerned," Trompeter said.

Authorities view the curfew ordinance as a way to intervene before a situation becomes unmanageable.

When a child is cited with a violation, a copy is sent to the parent, the court and the child's school, said Gary Conway, director of court services, which offers intervention assistance for the Roanoke Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

With a second citation, parents are alerted by letter that they may face charges if there is another violation. Conway said alternative programs for the child and parent are offered throughout the process.

"People are accountable for their own behavior," he said. "To a certain degree, parents are responsible for their child's behavior. And there are beaucoup agencies around to help them to do that."

by CNB