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Children under the age of 17 in Prince George's County, Maryland, will be under curfew for at least 30 days beginning this weekend, as the local government tries to combat a wave of juvenile crime.
The announcement came after an August that County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said was the "single-deadliest" in county history and that juvenile crime arrests have more than doubled since a year ago. During a Monday press conference, Alsobrooks justified the curfew by pointing to past government programs aimed at helping youths that do not appear to have worked in the county, which borders Washington, D.C.
"The government alone cannot solve this problem," Alsobrooks said. "Somebody has got to take responsibility for these armed and dangerous children, and it is not just the police and not just the government."
Alsobrooks stated that as the number of local carjackings has gone up, many of those offenses have been committed by children. This, despite past efforts to help the community such as an employment program where the government got summer jobs for more than 6,000 people between the ages of 16 and 22, as well as new mental health and addiction facilities.
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Alsobrooks led to the curfew announcement by pointing out that many crimes are being committed by children at 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.
"No summer job or government program is going to help that," she said.
With that in mind, Alsobrooks pointed to families to step up and do their part.
"At this point, these kids don’t just need a hug, they also need to be held accountable," she said. "I know this isn’t a popular thing to say, but the truth of the matter is it’s a fair question: Where are their parents? Where are the aunties, where are the uncles, and other family members who are responsible for them?"
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The curfew will be enforced under existing law and calls for children under the age of 17 to be home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and between 11:59 p.m. and 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Violation will result in parental notification. If a parent or guardian does not respond, child services will get involved.
Additionally, Alsobrooks said that owners of establishments that let children stay during curfew hours will face fines of $50 for a first offense, going up incrementally for subsequent offenses up to $250.
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