Township of Pittsgrove, NJ Chapter 38 Curfew

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Pittsgrove 7-9-1997 by Ord. No. 7-1997. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Public peace and safety — See Ch. 74.

§ 38-1 Purpose.

The purpose of this chapter in establishing a curfew for children is to help prevent truancy, juvenile delinquency and crime in the Township while at the same time safeguarding the constitutional rights of such children and encouraging school attendance.

§ 38-2 Definitions.

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall be defined as follows:

GUARDIAN

A person, other than a parent, to whom legal custody of the juvenile has been given by court order or who is acting in the place of the parent or who is responsible for the care and welfare of the juvenile.

JUVENILE

An individual who is under the age of 18 years.

PUBLIC PLACE

Any place to which the public has access, including but not limited to a public street, road, thoroughfare, sidewalk, bridge, alley, plaza, park, recreation, athletic or shopping area, public transportation facility, vehicle used for public transportation, parking lot or any other public building, structure or area.

§ 38-3 Prohibited acts; exceptions.

A. It shall be unlawful for juveniles or for a parent or guardian of a juvenile to permit or allow a juvenile to be in any public place between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, inclusive, and between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., Friday and Saturday of each week.

[Amended 9-13-2005 by Ord. No. 9-2005]

B. This prohibition does not apply if said juvenile is:

(1) Accompanied by a parent or guardian.

(2) Engaged in or traveling to or from a business or occupation which the laws of the State of New Jersey authorize a juvenile to perform.

(3) Engaged in an errand involving a medical emergency.

(4) Attending extracurricular school activities and other cultural, educational or social events sponsored by a religious or community organization or is in direct transit to or from such event.

§ 38-4 Violations and penalties.

Any person found guilty of having violated § 38-3 of this chapter shall perform community service and may be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000, and if parents or guardians as well as a juvenile are found guilty of violating this chapter, the parents or guardians shall perform community service together with the juvenile. The period of community service will not exceed 90 days.

§ 38-5 Construal of provisions.

This chapter shall be liberally construed to effectuate the purpose and intent of N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.52.