Youth enforcement efforts that were instituted in Baltimore will soon end.
According to CBS News Baltimore, a curfew for young people in Baltimore that went into effect right before the Memorial Day weekend will no longer be enforced. The curfew was an attempt to curb youth violence in the city.
In April, a shooting at Inner Harbor prompted Mayor Brandon Scott to enforce the curfew. Two teenagers were injured in that incident.
Although there was a renewal to enforce the curfew, the City of Baltimore claimed the curfew had been around for nearly 30 years but was never consistently enforced.
The city’s youth curfew policy required that those under 14 should be home before 9 p.m. For teenagers between 14 and 17, the curfew was set at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.
Parents of youth outside after the stated hours would face fines of up to $500. After hours, youth seen in the city would be taken to one of two Youth Connection Centers in Baltimore City.
The children would be encouraged by non-law enforcement staff to go home and given the chance to get in contact with a parent or guardian before being taken to an engagement center.
“The curfew itself is in effect all year,” Mayor Scott said after a 12-year-old boy was shot near a high school football field.
“It’s different in the school year than it is in the summertime. What’s different is the robust actions that we take, but we’re always going to be doing curfew. It’s just different in the school year than in the summertime.”
Baltimore teenagers said the concept behind the curfew was nice but lacked weight. Parents have stated that the city should find other ways to engage the youth of the city.
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