WASHINGTON — On July 7, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law the Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act, expanding the city’s curfew to include all minors, according to an article by Sophia Mandt of Reason magazine.
The curfew will be in effect from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily through Aug. 31, Mandt reported.
Bowser passed the legislation after several teenagers were arrested in connection with illegal fireworks over the July Fourth weekend, Mandt wrote.
The law “also prohibits minors from remaining in any public space or establishment within the district during curfew hours,” she added.
Although curfews enjoy widespread public support, there is little evidence they reduce crime, according to a 2003 study in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science cited by Mandt.
“[O]ut of thirty-eight relations between curfew implementation and crime rates, four showed a significant decrease in crime, two showed a significant increase in crime, and thirty-two showed no significant change,” the study found.
A 2015 study cited by Mandt reported that gun violence in Washington increased by 105% between 2006 and 2013, even while juvenile curfews were in effect specifically to address youth gun violence.
The law also gives the chief of police authority to create Juvenile Curfew Zones, where curfews can begin at 8 p.m., and minors may not gather in groups of nine or more unless they are engaged in exempted activities, Mandt stated.
Violators could face up to 25 hours of community service, Mandt wrote. Parents or guardians who “knowingly permit, or by insufficient control allow, a minor to violate the curfew law” can be fined up to $500 or ordered to perform community service.
Mandt reported that curfews may also facilitate racial profiling, citing juvenile justice expert William Carbone.
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice said in 2023 that Black youth were 19 times more likely to be cited for curfew violations than white youth.
“Law enforcement officers have the tendency to judge not only a young person’s likelihood to engage in criminal behavior, but their chances of rehabilitation, based upon racial/ethnic stereotypes,” the coalition said.
“With 40 percent of the city’s 2024 homicide cases remaining open, it’s a wonder that fireworks violations—not more serious crimes—are what inspired the district’s officials to enact the stricter curfew,” Mandt concluded. “Washington’s curfew is unlikely to meaningfully reduce crime, but it will reduce juveniles’ freedom to associate.”
