Baltimore City officials are expanding the daytime Youth Connection Center program to deal with an increase in curfew violations during school hours.
The centers, included in the city’s revised curfew law adopted last June, provide families with social assistance in addition to a safe place for youth until a parent or guardian picks them up. They have been in operation since August.
While the revised curfew law focused on nighttime hours, it included a ban on anyone under the age of 16 being in a public place or business between 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., while school is in session. Angela Johnese, director of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, said in a news conference Wednesday there have been more daytime than nighttime violators.
"We're seeing about 12 to 15 daytime curfew [violations] per week as with nighttime curfews; we're seeing maybe two to three per week," she said.
The two daytime connection centers will be at Solo Gibbs Recreation Center on Leadenhall Street in South Baltimore and the Greenmount Recreation Center on Greenmount Avenue in North Baltimore.
Johnese said the city will close the nighttime connection center at the Lillian Jones Recreation Center on North Stricker Street in West Baltimore on Feb. 21 and re-open it May 22 for the summer. The Collington Square Recreation Center on Patterson Park Avenue in East Baltimore will continue to be open year round.
Centers will be staffed by Recreation And Parks staff, police and staff from the criminal justice office. Johnese said the shift in operations is within the city budget.