One teen is off to prison. Another is dead. Curfews aren’t the answer.

The article characterized this case as an example of “the shortcomings of the juvenile justice system and Maryland’s high rate of incarceration of Black youths.” But Mr. Holland forced his way onto the bus and pointed a loaded handgun at the victim’s head and chest, pulling the trigger three times, but the gun malfunctioned and did not fire. The article described the evidence against Mr. Holland, noting that “the attack was planned and coordinated, stemming from a neighborhood rivalry.” Before this crime, which he committed at the age of 15, Mr. Holland had been involved in other criminal activity, a deadly weapons misdemeanor, and had displayed increasing acts of aggression against students and teachers. Mr. Holland also faces a pending murder charge in an unrelated D.C. case.

Given all this evidence, the attorney’s reasoning is also worth a moment of reflection, offering as it does an example of an attitude that pervades the juvenile criminal justice system, and that is an insult to all the hard-working single parents who raise law-abiding children under difficult circumstances.

Joseph A. Capone, Oakton, Va.

Justice for some

So, a 17-year-old traumatized by his own shooting gets 25 years for firing a broken gun, while the maximum sentence for a Jan. 6, 2021, violent insurrectionist is 20 years, with most offenders getting less than five years. The Jan. 6 criminals committed more violence, and did so as adults fully aware of what they were doing. The greatest fear for many appears to have been less for their personal safety than that liberals would call them out for their racism and misogyny. Former president Donald Trump has promised to pardon these offenders if he is reelected, and millions apparently plan to vote for him. I guess in America, it pays to be a White guy. Justice indeed.

Richard Dine, Silver Spring

The case for a light sentence

Regarding the Aug. 16 online Metro article “Jury convicts D.C. man of manslaughter in death of unarmed 13-year-old”:

I grieve for the verdict of manslaughter imposed against Jason Lewis for shooting 13-year old Karon Desean Blake in what he maintains was self-defense. There is no legitimate comparison, as some suggest, with George Zimmerman’s fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012. Karon and his buddies were tampering with a car. When Mr. Lewis confronted them, Karon ran near Mr. Lewis, who then fired his gun at him.

What is missing in situations like this is any sense of accountability for teens who brazenly commit car thefts and other crimes in this city. Karon might have been, as he said with his dying words “just a kid,” but these offenses are not “just playing.” I believe Mr. Lewis took action against what he saw as a threat to his life. I pray that Judge Anthony C. Epstein imposes the lightest sentence possible under the law.

Bill Thompson, Washington

A life’s work undone

Jason Lewis had dedicated his life to mentoring troubled youth in the District. A former parks and recreation department employee, he’d worked on late-night and summer programs intended to give kids a positive outlet and a safe place to go. And this month, Mr. Lewis was found guilty of manslaughter in the killing of 13-year-old Karon Desean Blake during the sort of incident Mr. Lewis spent his career working to prevent.

Karon’s death was tragic because of his extreme youth. He was someone’s child, and children often get into mischief. The tragedy is exacerbated because the mischief that so many young people in the District engage in too often has deadly consequences. This was not, as some speculated immediately after Karon’s death, a repeat of George Zimmerman’s pursuit and shooting of Trayvon Martin. But even so, Lewis shouldn’t have taken the law into his own hands, even if he believed a crime was underway. The decision he made to confront Karon and Karon’s compatriots is one that Mr. Lewis should always regret.

I do not know what happened to the others who were with Karon that fateful morning. Perhaps his death inspired them to straighten up and fly right, to choose a more productive path in life. It would be a shame if, after everything that transpired, they picked up where they left off: vandalizing and breaking into people’s cars.

Working-class people put a premium on their property. The feeling is, if you work hard enough to own a car and a home, people should respect not just your things, but the effort they are proof of. Mr. Lewis was right to be agitated at the prospect of someone vandalizing or stealing cars in his neighborhood, but he should have called the police. By taking it on himself to enforce the law, Mr. Lewis not only took a young man’s life but also negated years of his own effort and energy directed at improving the quality of young people’s lives.

Stuart V. Perry, Mount Rainier, Md.

A lost summer in P.G.

While memories tend to fade as individuals get older, few adults can forget the easy days of their childhood summers when they spent leisurely hours with friends at malls, parks and local eateries. At 5 p.m., plenty of sunlight is still left in the day, but for youths in Prince George’s County, the sun might as well have set.

After a large crowd of teens were caught fighting, stealing and vandalizing property at National Harbor this spring, Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks implemented a curfew banning youths 16 or younger from the area after 5 p.m., with limited exceptions.

This policy imposes fines and “babysitting fees” on the parents of juveniles who violate curfew and the local business that welcome them. Although proponents claim curfews work, researchers are not so confident that curfews are effective tools to address juvenile delinquency. The Campbell Collaboration, a policy nonprofit, examined 12 studies on the impact of juvenile curfews and concluded that evidence suggested juvenile curfews are ineffective at reducing both crime committed by youths and youth victimization.

What supporters of the curfew don’t consider is that many county young people miss out on innocent summer fun with their peers because their very existence in public has been restricted. Prince George’s County youths are on the equivalent of house arrest, and many adults seem to have forgotten what covid-19 lockdowns did for the mental health of our younger generations. Only this time, young adults are not being protected from an imminent danger. They are being treated as one.

In June, I attended a town hall on the impact of the curfew. One mother was worried that businesses would be hesitant to hire her teenage son as he applied for summer jobs. Another attendee likened the requirement that juveniles have proof of where they are coming from to 19th-century “slave passes.” Not one person in the room thought the curfew was a good idea. The unanimity of the community highlighted the disconnect between local citizens and local government. For instance, Prince George’s County Council member Edward Burroughs III introduced Bill CB-029-2024, which would allow businesses to apply for even more restrictive juvenile curfew zones in specified commercial areas. On June 4, that bill passed with a 10-1 vote.

Our young people deserve better, more creative solutions.

Often, juveniles with challenges such as delinquency, substance abuse and mental health issues can access services only after they have been brought into the juvenile criminal system. The county should not wait until a juvenile commits a crime before it is willing to help troubled teens get the help they need; officials should be prepared to offer wraparound services at a much earlier point.

Community leaders should also create more areas where juveniles can go instead of just telling them where they can’t go. For example, the Suitland Community Center’s operating hours are 9 a.m. to4 p.m. on Saturdays. What other approved areas can teens go to after 4 p.m. in that community?

And while higher-income families can afford to send their children to summer camps and other enrichment activities, lower-income families struggle to find productive things for their children to do when school is out.

Directing youths into positive and affordable activities will do more to alleviate juvenile delinquency than curfews ever could. Unfortunately, no matter what steps are taken in the future, Prince George’s County youths will have forever lost the summer of 2024.

Tiffany Jackson, Wheaton