Halloween rules target sex offenders. Do they protect kids?
As Halloween approaches, law enforcement agencies across the country are reviving a controversial yet common plan to keep children safe. In many cities and states, certain sex offenders will be barred from handing out candy, decorating their homes or even having their lights on while families are out trick-or-treating. In some areas, hundreds of officers will go door to door to ensure compliance while in others, offenders are required to spend the evening at the local police station. Some of these restrictions have faced successful legal challenges from offenders who say they impose on their constitutional rights. Advocates for offenders and experts on child sex crimes say the restrictions are a solution in search of a problem. Elizabeth J. Letourneau, director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at the Johns Hopkins University, compared the idea of children being lured in and assaulted by sex offenders on Halloween to the myth of tainted Halloween candy. “This is not actually doing anything to keep kids safe and it’s a distraction from things that we should be putting our time and resources into,” Letourneau said.
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Well done article. If Law Enforcement is looking for ways to save taxpayers money, this is a huge opportunity. These Halloween operations are enormously costly in terms of resources and money but also pull resources away from what actually harms children on Halloween, drunk and careless drivers.