Maryland Teens Needs Jobs & Joy, NOT Government Curfews

“Outside.” This is what I often hear when I ask young and younger friends what they are up to. My middle-aged ear hears it as a catchall for “something fun with friends” or “not at home.” It feels very teenager-ish—though some of my adult friends use it too. Whenever I hear children and teens in my neighborhood or at The Choice Program at UMBC, where I work, tell me they are “outside” this summer, I smile. And I worry.

I smile because summer is supposed to be a time of fun and hanging out with friends. This kind of play, which includes taking risks, annoying adults, and sometimes making mistakes, is essential for healthy growth and development. But I also worry because tens of thousands of young people across the United States will face curfews this summer; more than 400 towns, cities, counties and states make it illegal for young people to be outside of their homes at certain times of night and day. [NYRA, 2025] Invariably, these prohibitions will translate into more interactions with the police. In Maryland, Black and brown youth will be disproportionately affected. [MEJC, 2025]

In recent years, both the Cambridge City Council, in Dorchester County, and the Baltimore County government enacted curfew laws, in 2023 and 2024 respectively. This summer there are curfews in Baltimore and Laurel. Many retail and entertainment complexes, including National Harbor (Prince George’s County), The Mall in Columbia (Howard County), and Towson Town Center (Baltimore County) have comparable Parental Guidance Required (PGR) rules, denying access to youth not accompanied by an adult.

The earliest curfews for children in the U.S. date to the late 19th century and are rooted in assumptions about respectable behavior; childhood, family, and community life; and who has a right to public space. Some of these first curfews sought to restrict the movement of European immigrant children after dark. Since the 1990s—the era of the superpredator myth—curfews have tended to focus on restricting the movement in public of Black children (as well as their parents and caregivers). Legislators and retail landlords can be quick to accommodate constituents who feel uncomfortable when Black and brown children assemble in public and semi-public places. That children of color tend to be viewed as older than their white peers exacerbates the problem. Hyperbolic local news and social media algorithms that prioritize conflict make matters even worse. Every year, tough-on-kids advocates seize upon a handful of incidents, demonize Black children, and enact punitive policies. They seek to reassure constituents that they are imposing control. This unfolds at the same time as we see generational drops in crime rates.

According to the ACLU of Maryland, curfew laws often run afoul of both the U.S. and Maryland constitutions. Courts have consistently required local governments to demonstrate with convincing evidence that these measures are substantially related to achieving important government interests. In case after case, jurisdictions have failed to prove their effectiveness, leading many curfew programs to be revoked. When the the ACLU presented them with data, municipal leaders in Federalsburg and Princess Anne realized there are more effective approaches to community safety.

Everyday people have demanded such alternatives for years; I hear these demands as a call for jobs (part-time employment) and joy (recreation centers). Supported workforce development programs for young people, like Baltimore’s Restoring Inner City Hope (RICH) and Rysing Youth, operated by The Choice Program at UMBC, are two examples. Young people selling cold-pressed juice at RICH, or scooping Taharka Brothers ice cream at Rysing Youth locations in Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the Inner Harbor learn about operating social enterprises. At Baltimore Youth Arts, young people make art. At The Food Project, they make vegan snacks. Unfortunately, there just aren’t enough of these programs to meet the need. More than 12,000 young people applied for 8,500 positions in Baltimore City for this summer’s five-week YouthWorks initiative sponsored by the Mayor’s Office on Economic Development.

People seeking more joy have organized new and renovated recreation centers, pools, and parks for young people. At a recent town hall co-hosted by Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and Councilman Mark Conway (District 4), not one member of the public insisted that more children get locked up; none mentioned curfews. Instead, people called on city agencies to continue their efforts to reopen rec centers and host structured activities.

Sadly, the punishment habit—which includes the push for curfews—is hard to break. But we do better by our children when we invest in providing joy and jobs for those who want them. These paths create opportunities for young people to grow and to develop a sense of belonging with their peers, among neighborhoods, and in larger communities. By rejecting the impulse to criminalize in favor of an ethos of care that builds upon young people’s interests and strengths, this vision of community safety paves the way for a healthier, safer, and more prosperous future for us all.

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Kelly Quinn is the Managing Director of The Choice Program at UMBC.