2 Incidents Reported During 1st Two Weeks Of Teen Curfew In Prince George's: Officials

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — After a baby was shot, four people killed and several others injured Labor Day weekend, Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks enacted a 30-day youth curfew.

Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said 438 juveniles have been arrested in Prince George’s so far this year, more than double the total from all of last year.

However, some of the county's largest communities cannot enforce the curfew because it violates city ordinances, including Bowie, Greenbelt and Hyattsville.

But in the two weeks since the curfew was enacted for those 17 and younger, only a couple of incidents surfaced in the areas where the curfew can be enforced, reports WUSA.

• On Sept. 12, at around 10:35 p.m., officers stopped a driver who was seen committing multiple traffic violations in the 5700 block of Cypress Creek Drive in Chillum. A 17-year-old in the vehicle was arrested on a gun charge. The 16-year-old driver was escorted home to her guardians. A first-offense curfew warning letter was sent to her guardians.
• On Sept. 17 in the 800 block of Largo Center Drive, a 15-year-old boy was found with a gunshot wound to his foot. He was taken to the hospital. The juvenile told police that he and a friend were playing with the gun when it discharged. A warning letter was sent to the juvenile’s guardians.

The county’s curfew requires youth 17 years and younger to be off the streets between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:59 p.m. and 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Exceptions include youth accompanied by an adult, coming from a job or other circumstances.

Parents and guardians will first receive a warning. If a teenager gets caught without a valid reason, a parent will be fined $50. A second fine increases to $100 and subsequent offenses increase to $250.

Carjackings remain the most frequent serious offense for juveniles, Aziz said. Eighty-four juvenile arrests for carjacking have been made in the county so far this year. Aziz said about 15 of those juveniles have prior arrests for gun possession and three of them had been arrested for carrying guns four times.

The Maryland Office of the Public Defender teamed up with the Prince George's County district public defender to release a statement about the "potential for harm on children and families" the curfew could cause and how the “quick fix approach does not address the true underlying causes of violent crime."

“Curfews do not make anyone safer or address any underlying societal problems which are the
true root of crime. At best, curfews are an ineffective band-aid; at worst, they criminalize our
most vulnerable and at-risk children,” said Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue.

“Curfews increase the likelihood of young people being needlessly drawn into the criminal
justice system. Youth who are not safe in their home, or lack a stable home, will be subject to
police and court involvement regardless of whether they are involved in any delinquent or
criminal activity. Curfews serve as an entry into the school-to-prison pipeline," Dartigue added.

District Public Defender for Prince George’s County Melissa Pryce said Prince George’s County’s children do not need further arrest or incarceration that will result from a curfew.

"...and our communities deserve a response that is reflective of the data and research, none of which suggest that punishing children for being outside late at night is effective,” Pryce said. “While we all want to curb violence, demonizing children will not protect our communities."

Violent crime has been on an overall decline since the mid-90s from a high of
9,063 violent incidents in Prince George’s County in 1996 to 3,161 incidents in 2020, according
to the Open Data Portal of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth and Victim
Services. Juvenile complaints and arrests are likewise down precipitously in the past 10
years.

“Spending on youth incarceration facilities still dwarfs that for community-based programs and
family services,” Dartigue said. “The children who are involved in violence need evidence-based responses that account for their brain development, behavioral health needs, extreme poverty, and other concerns. Greater investment is needed in proven practices, such as multisystemic therapy, functional family therapy and youth advocate programs, rather than the failed measure of locking children up.”