DC's youth curfew program begins Friday

D.C.’s youth curfew program designed to help combat youth related crimes will begin Friday, September 1 in the District.

WASHINGTON - D.C.'s youth curfew program designed to help combat youth related crimes will begin Friday, September 1 in the District.

The "Juvenile Curfew Enforcement Pilot" program will focus on seven areas around D.C. to enforce curfews for anyone under 17 years old.

Curfew hours for those under 17 years old in D.C. are Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 12:01 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Any youth found out past curfew will be brought to the Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services to be connected with their families and for "rehabilitative services and support."

"The vast majority of our young people are doing the right thing – they are back in school, they are involved in extracurriculars, and in the evenings and at night, they are where they need to be – supervised and safe," said Mayor Muriel Bowser in a statement. "But we need that to be true for all of our young people, and if we have kids and teenagers who are not in safe situations, we need to connect with those families."

"I've shared before that when I was young, my father used to tell me: there's nothing good in the street after 11 o'clock," Bowser continued. "We want our kids home, we want them safe, and if they're not – we want families working with us to get their kids the help that they need."