Madison County passes daytime curfew for youth

Madison County commissioners have approved a daytime curfew for children, two months after the Jackson City Council approved it.
The curfew requires children to be in school between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. It will give deputies the right to stop children under the age of 18 who are not in school during those hours.
Students found breaking the curfew without a valid excuse will first get a warning letter. On the second offense, the juvenile judge has the discretion to issue a $50 fine to the child’s parents.
Sheriff David Woolfork has supported the daytime curfew because he believes it will deter crime.
Jackson police have said that during school hours arrests of 13-17-year-olds for crimes like drug possession and stolen property increased 14 percent between 2007 and 2009.