Hinsdale South Students Question Teen Curfew Fines in Darien

Late nights out for Darien teens can potentially come with a hefty fine. Now a group of Hinsdale South students is trying to change that.

Students in a American politics class wrote letters to aldermen and signed a petition in May protesting Darien’s fine structure for curfew violations. The city’s addressed the students’ letters at Monday’s meeting.

The majority of the letters call out Darien for having one of the three highest fines for curfew violations in DuPage County.

Fines for breaking Darien’s midnight curfew range from $25 to $750, depending on the severity of a teen’s violation, according to city code.

“At $750, the maximum fine for breaking curfew is harsh, obsolete and discriminatory,” said the students’ spokeswoman, Akvile Zakarauskaite, at the May 16 Darien City Council meeting. About 20 students attended that meeting to present the issue to the council.

Several of the students’ letters stated that because they are minors, their parents are the ones who would actually pay the fine.

Others pointed out that the penalty for breaking curfew in Darien is greater than if someone is caught with marijuana, which carries a maximum $500 fine.

“Committing theft and/or ingesting cannabis seem to be way worse crimes than being out as little as one minute past midnight,” student Raymond Riordan wrote.

A poll the students conducted found that less than 1 percent of Hinsdale South students survey even knew about the fines.

“The purpose of having a harsh consequence is to use it as a deterrent,” student Ryan Johnson wrote. “For this to happen, people have to be aware of the fine.”

Most Darien curfew violations result in a  $25 ticket that can be paid at , Assistant City Administrator Scott Coren said Monday.

City code, however, allows a judge to assess a fine as high as $750 for an egregious violation—for example, a teen who also egged a house while out past curfew.

None of the city officials present at Monday’s meeting could remember the last time Darien police officers assessed any fine higher than $25.

Ward 5 Alderman Joe Marchese suggested that perhaps the real issue is that teenagers aren’t aware of the fines and how the structure works. The students who wrote the letters didn’t attend Monday’s meeting.

“They’re saying nobody follows it because no one is even aware of it,” Marchese said. “Maybe that’s what we need to define.”

The committee tabled further discussion of the issue until the next meeting so its members could gather more information about curfew education at Hinsdale South and Downers Grove South.

The students’ activism sprung out of Hinsdale South teacher Kathy Lencioni’s American politics class.

Students first addressed the curfew issue with Ward 7 Alderman Halil Avci when he visited their class May 12 to talk about city government.

“I have two teenagers and two before them, so I thought I kind of know how teens go,” Avci said at the May 16 City Council meeting. “I thought, ‘They’re going to complain about hours of curfew, how they’re all grown up and need to be trusted.’ I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. Their argument was very thoughtful.”