Consider An Appeal If Your Teen's Curfew Disrupts His Or Her Life

It's upsetting and a little embarrassing when you have a teen who has run afoul of the law, especially if he or she is a good child but has made a mistake. If your teen has been found guilty, it's possible that the judge may impose a curfew on him or her. You probably agree with the terms of the curfew for the most part — after all, many parents appreciate knowing where their teens are at night, and you'll find comfort in knowing that your teen isn't out at a time that bad behavior is more likely. However, you may also notice that the terms of the curfew are disruptive. In such a scenario, you might wish to contact the criminal defense attorney who represented your teen in court to appeal to the court for a change to the curfew's terms. Here are some scenarios in which this might be applicable.

Early Morning Sports Practice

A lot of athletes have practice before the school day, which makes for an early morning for them. The terms of the curfew will often extend until around dawn — for example, the teen may need to remain in your home until 6 a.m. The problem is that if he or she has practice at 7 a.m. a few mornings each week, remaining home at 6 a.m. may prevent your teen from getting to practice on time. In this scenario, your teen's defense attorney may be able to petition the court to push the curfew back to 5 a.m.

Late Work Shifts

It's possible that the curfew begins each night at 10 or 11 p.m., and you'd probably agree that it's good for your teen to be at home during these hours. However, if he or she has a part-time job that runs late — perhaps working the evening shift at a fast-food restaurant — being home by 10 or 11 p.m. could prove to be difficult. Working may be critical to the teen's hopes of attending college, so he or she won't naturally want to quit the job because of the curfew.

Working For You

In appealing these hours, the criminal defense attorney will point out that your teen is using his or her time constructively by playing extra-curricular sports, working, or engaging in other positive activities. The attorney will likely warn your child to respect the curfew until he or she is able to get it changed; just because the criminal attorney is working on getting the hours changed isn't an excuse to not be at home during the required hours. Failing to honor the curfew would leave your teen facing further legal repercussions.

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