illegal fireworks in Washington, D.C.’s Navy Yard neighborhood were made over the July 4 weekend, the city’s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 into law on July 7. The legislation expanded the city’s curfew to apply to all persons ages 17 and younger every day from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. through August 31. It also prohibits minors from remaining in any public space or establishment within the district during curfew hours.
In addition to the increased curfew hours, the amendment allows the chief of police to implement Juvenile Curfew Zones. In these areas, a curfew can be enacted as early as 8 p.m., and juvenile groups of nine or more will not be allowed to gather unless they are taking part in certain exempted activities. Those who violate the city curfew could face up to 25 hours of community service, while any parent or guardian who “knowingly permits, or by insufficient control allows, a minor to violate the curfew law” will be subject to a fine of up to $500 or community service. The first curfew zone was implemented in Navy Yard last weekend, and no arrests were made.
While public opinion may overwhelmingly support curfew laws, several academics have long argued that curfews are not an effective way to combat crime. A 2003 study published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science found that such laws have been shown to “not produce statistically significant changes in crime.” Notably, “out of thirty-eight relations between curfew implementation and crime rates, four showed a significant decrease in crime, two showed a significant increase in crime, and thirty-two showed no significant change.”…