It was just last week that the D.C. Council jumped to action, passing emergency legislation demanded by D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams to deal with the recent jump in violent in crime. Among the measures passed was a stricter curfew on juveniles, forcing them to be home by 10 p.m. or face a night in a holding center (think glorified detention hall). Yesterday Williams announced that Monday, July 31 would mark the start of the new curfew-on-steroids, and would last through August 30, at which point he could request an extenstion. In a press release, Williams stated:

Too often, young people are becoming involved in violent crimes. This earlier curfew hour is necessary in order to protect them from becoming victims of crime or from becoming involved in crimes at night. Dozens of cities across the United States have similar curfews, ranging from Philadelphia and Denver to Santa Barbara and Cleveland. Curfews will keep our children safer, and encourage parents to take a stronger interest in the activities of their children and to take responsibility for their whereabouts.

If Williams wanted a feel-good, do-nothing solution, he’s getting it next Monday. For all the fanfare surrounding our crime emergency, few people actually think a stricter curfew will do much of anything. We sure don’t. The Post didn’t either on Sunday, when it opined:

More problematic is the decision to allow the mayor to set an earlier curfew for those 16 or younger. Aside from making it more difficult for the majority of law-abiding youth to go to an evening movie or visit friends, one wonders what will be accomplished. The existing curfew has done little to counter juvenile crime, and there are better things for police to do than drive teens to curfew centers. Since most crimes are still committed by adults, maybe they’re the ones who should be off the streets by 10 p.m.

Will the curfew work? Probably not. Kids hell-bent on committing serious crimes will have few qualms with violating the provisions of their curfew. But worst of all, any decline in criminal activity, whether or not related to the actual curfew, will embolden city officials and convince them that the measure works. District juveniles, we say this to you — hope for some more enlightened debate on crime in the future, because if not, this 10 p.m. curfew might become permanent.