By DaQuan Lawrence
AFRO International Writer
DLawrence@afro.com
In an effort to improve public safety and prevent an increase in youth-involved crimes in the District of Columbia, Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced a short-term expansion of the youth curfew. On July 7, Mayor Bowser released a public statement via Facebook declaring the intent of the law.
“I just signed into law a temporary expansion of the youth curfew—11 p.m. across D.C. and 8 p.m. in designated zones,” Mayor Bowser said.
Last month, Mayor Bowser submitted the Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 to the Council of the District of Columbia for review at their July 1 legislative meeting. The legislation seeks to extend the city’s “juvenile curfew hours” and to create more flexibility to protect public safety.
The legislation alters the District’s juvenile curfew policy to create more of a region-based scheduled approach, which allows the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to ensure the safety of juveniles and the public.
According to the Executive Office of the Mayor, the tools available to MPD are limited, although MPD has utilized various methods to address past conduct of youth – such as heightened enforcement of the disturbance of the peace offenses, developing signage with local businesses to prevent trespassing by unaccompanied minors and requesting a restricted curfew in the Wharf.
The legislation was developed with Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who also serves as the Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, and seeks to strengthen and improve enforcement and accountability tools for youth who commit crimes, with a specific focus on a robust curfew program.
“Our young people deserve safe and engaging recreation spaces throughout our city and this summer we must explore additional programming to support their diverse interests and activities,” said Councilmember Pinto.
“This emergency legislation gives us stronger, more flexible tools to prevent violence and disorder before it starts and to keep our community safe,” Mayor Bowser said. “Most of our young people are doing the right thing, but unfortunately, we continue to see troubling trends in how groups of young people are gathering in the community – in ways that too often lead to violence and other unlawful behaviors.”
Juvenile arrests are common within the nation’s capital as MPD, officers arrested 2,235 juveniles on average between 2016 and 2022, based on reports by MPD. Additionally, youth offenders vary by age as the majority of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services’ (DYRS) newly committed youth are ages 14 (11.34 percent), 15 (22.16 percent), 16 (26.29 percent) and 17 (25.26 percent) based on DYRS’ July 2025 data.
DYRS is responsible for the supervision, custody, and care of young people charged with a delinquent act in Washington, D.C. DYRS works with youth who are committed by a D.C. Superior Court Family Court judge after adjudication, as well as youth who are detained at a DYRS facility while awaiting adjudication according to the agency.
“We also must empower the chief of police with additional tools to protect our kids and prevent violence before it occurs with the authority to call for certain areas to have earlier curfews for kids if situations get out of control with large groups,” said Councilmember Pinto.
The emergency legislation comes after recent incidents of large groups of alleged juveniles engaging in activities that disturb patrons and customers, including criminal conduct in high commerce areas such as Dupont Circle, Navy Yard, U Street and the Wharf.
In addition to permitting the mayor to authorize an arbitrary emergency curfew, other changes brought by the legislation include:
- Adjusting the juvenile curfew hours to 11p.m. during the months of July and August 2025
- Extending the applicability of the juvenile curfew to 17-year-olds
- Authorizing the chief of police to establish extended juvenile curfew zone (s), mirroring the parameters of the popular drug free zones from the Secure DC Omnibus bill signed into law by Mayor Bowser in March 2024
- Allowing an Advisory Neighborhood Commission, business improvement district, or Main Street organization to petition the chief of police to establish an extended juvenile curfew hours zone
The recent amendment to the juvenile curfew act is Mayor Bowser’s latest effort to curb crime-related youth activities. In April, Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD announced the launch of a Juvenile Investigative Response Unit (JIRU), an initiative focused on preventing youth offenses, reducing recidivism, and improving MPD’s outreach to District youth.
In May, Mayor Bowser shared she was ready to adjust the District’s public safety posture and curfew, especially considering recent disturbances involving youth in commercial areas across the city.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the Council of the District of Columbia to prioritize the safety of our city and the well-being of our young people,” Mayor Bowser said via Facebook.