Baltimore’s summer youth curfew begins, attempts to reduce teen violence

With the start of Memorial Day weekend, a youth curfew is expected to go into effect in the city of Baltimore.

Starting Friday evening, the mandatory curfew will go into effect in an effort to curb the recent spike in teenage gun violence in the city, Mayor Brandon Scott’s office said this week.

Enforced on weekends and holidays, the curfew is part of a strategy introduced by Scott to minimize interaction between children and police and to keep children out of harm’s way during the summer, when forces law enforcement officials said violent crime was trending up.

Experts say curfews for minors have historically proven ineffective and often have unintended consequences.

Curfews for teenagersJuvenile curfews have consequences, but not what they’re designed for, studies show

What are Baltimore’s curfew hours?

The curfew begins at 10 p.m. Friday and lasts until Sept. 3, 2023, the mayor’s office said.

Under the terms of reference, any young person under the age of 14 who is out after 10 p.m. and between the ages of 14 and 16 after 11 p.m. on weekends or holiday nights, without a parent or guardian will be “engaged by personnel not in charge of the ‘law enforcement where he will be first encouraged to return home or call their parent or guardian before being transported to an engagement center,’ the mayor’s office said.