Children and teens in Philadelphia will be under a new summer curfew beginning Thursday, an effort by legislators to keep them safe and away from criminal activity amid rising violence.
Under the new rules, 16-17-year-olds must be off the streets by 10 p.m., moving up by two hours their prior midnight curfew. Children 14 and 15 already had a 10 p.m. curfew while those 13 and under must be in by 9:30 p.m. All are to remain off the streets until 6 a.m. the following day.
Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson proposed the bill in direct response to the city’s violence. The city controller’s gun violence tracker shows 22 minors have been killed and another 106 wounded in shootings this year.
“We are seeing our young people involved in more criminal incidents and criminal activity simply because they’re out late,” Richardson said.
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The bill carves out exceptions for minors out for legitimate reasons, like work and errands, and for those who are with a guardian. There will be no fines for violators.
If a minors violate the curfew, Philadelphia Police Department officers will first attempt to reunite them with their families, Richardson said. If that’s not possible, officers will either take the children to one of two community evening resource centers or take them back to the police station to try to reunite them with their family there, she said.
The resource centers currently open are the Community of Compassion CDC at 6150 Cedar Ave. and the Diversified Community Services-Dixon House at 1920 S. 20th St. They operate between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. and offer activities like classes in financial literacy, yoga, photography and cooking.
“I think it’s sensible because there’s no reason for a child to be out past a certain time of the night,” Philadelphia resident and grandfather Adam Byrd said in reference to the curfew.
But despite their good intentions, research shows that curfews are not effective at reducing crime.
A 2016 review of studies on juvenile curfews published by the nonprofit Campbell Corporation concluded that, “The pattern of evidence suggests that juvenile curfews are ineffective at reducing crime and victimization.” While the review noted that the studies suffered from limitations that make it difficult to draw firm conclusions, it nonetheless concluded that “curfews are unlikely to be a meaningful solution to juvenile crime and disorder.”
Nonetheless, the new curfew in Philadelphia will be in effect until Sept. 29.
“We have to use every tool in our toolbox to protect our young people during the most violent time of the year,” Richardson said.
