- Earlier this week, we reported on the start of Newark's summer curfew for teens.

It's a citywide rule that affects anyone under the age of 18 from 11 p.m. to 5.30 a.m. daily.

Well, we wanted to take a deeper look into the program and see the impact it's having on the city, crime, and keeping kids safe while school's out.

Raven Santana talked to some of the people running outreach programs along with city officials about how it's working, and she's with us now.

Raven.

(dramatic music) - Hi, Bri, yeah, that's right.

Newark's summer youth curfew is now in effect from 11 p.m. to 5.30 a.m. daily, and it's aimed at keeping kids safe and off the streets.

Outreach teams I spoke with say the goal is to help not arrest youth, and officials I spoke with say they've already seen a reduction in juvenile crime.

From now until the start of the new school year, Newark's summer curfew will be in full effect.

That means anyone under 18 must be off the streets by 11 p.m. unless they're with an adult.

- And what we realize is that the curfew has been on the books for years, but it wasn't being enforced.

- Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Lakeisha Urie says the curfew takes a community-led approach.

The city is partnering with law enforcement, the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, and case managers to identify and support unaccompanied minors out past curfew.

- What we want to do is approach youth and say, "Hey, it's 11, 12, one o'clock in the morning.

"Is there anything that you need?

"Can we help you get home?"

And ultimately, we're trying to offer resources.

And so some of the kids are coming from work, they're just hanging out, but we want them to know that it's not safe all the time just hanging out.

So we want them to be within 100 feet of their houses, so they don't have to be in a house, but just nearby a home or a safe place.

And then if they're not able to go home and no one answers for them, then we take them to our office at the Office of Violence Prevention until we can get a parent or a guardian on the phone to be able to get them home safely.

- The renewed enforcement follows a tragic week in Newark.

Two 16-year-olds, a boy and a girl, were shot and killed in separate incidents.

And just this Wednesday, a 15-year-old boy was critically injured in another shooting.

- Reality is, and I would venture to say that most people who care about young people would say that children being out that time of night does put them in a larger harm's way than they would be during regular day hours.

- Officials say the curfew initiative is showing early signs of success.

Juvenile arrests dropped 7% last summer.

Assistant Deputy Mayor Barry Ford says Newark's curfew is different from traditional approaches.

There are no arrests, fines, or penalties, just engagement and support.

- This is youth engagement.

It's not about arresting young people or getting them in trouble or trying to scare them out of the streets.

It's care and concern.

We're trying to talk to them about what's going on.

A lot of people will just think, hey, it's kids being in the street and just hanging out and being negligent in their behavior.

And that's not the case in many circumstances.

There's so many different things that are happening.

Sometimes it's as simple as having something to do.

- The curfew is one part of Newark's broader strategy to protect and empower youth.

The city is also investing in jobs, mentorships, and programs that offer purpose and opportunity.

One of those programs is the Newark Summer Work Program, where 150 youth, many formerly considered high risk, are learning workplace and life skills.

- It's multiple job sites, and they didn't really give anybody what direct job site they'd be at, but some kids would be at the pools, some kids would be at camps, some kids would be at McCarter Highway, at the Easy Pass building.

- Is there an area of work that you're looking forward to do or that you're interested in?

- I mean, me personally, I wanted to work with the youth, and I don't want them to go down like the wrong path or anything.

- After their initial training, participants will be placed in job assignments for the rest of the summer, building real world experience and stronger sense of direction.

When school resumes, Newark's curfew will shift back to weekends only.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Raven Santana.

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