Skenazy on Halloween Fear
News for Sex Offenders
Lenore Skenazy, founder of Free-Range Kids and a regular contributor to Reason.com, helped dispel the unfounded Halloween “horror stories” that have been thrown around this time of year for decades, including poisoned candy and sex offender attacks. Like the witches, ghosts and goblins that have become staples of the season, there’s nothing true about these myths either!
Checking children’s candy for razor blades is harmless, but calling out sex offenders is not. It unjustly further stigmatizes a population very unlikely to harm anyone – this time of year or any. Worse is what it does to anyone who lives with them, including their own children!
Sex Offender Myths Debunked
Here’s what Lenore had to say about Patch.com’s annual publishing of “safety maps”…
“Last week, Patch USA reminded its readers of a girl murdered in Fond du Lac, Wis., by a man later referred to as the Halloween Killer. That crime was in 1973 — 44 years ago. And yet, that single, sad story is the excuse Patch gives for publishing maps of the homes of men, women, and children on the sex offender registry.
That may sound like they’re doing a public service. But it’s actually like telling people never to go south of 14th Street, because once there was a terrorist attack there. When Johns Hopkins Professor Elizabeth Letourneau did a study of sex crimes on Halloween, looking for evidence of registered sex offenders pouncing on pint-sized pirates and princesses, she was shocked to find not only was there no bump in the numbers, the day was actually remarkably low in crimes against kids. In fact, she said, “We thought about calling it ‘Halloween: The Safest Day of the Year.’ ”
So Patch’s decision to publish the addresses of registrants may sound responsible, but it is scaring families with one exceedingly rare tragedy, and reinforcing the false idea that anyone registered as a sex offender is an insatiable monster. In truth, the number of people on the registry who commit a new sex crime is far lower than most people realize. It’s about five out of 100. Your kids are more likely to end up on the registry than to be molested by someone on it.
That’s scary.”
Little wary of that 5 percent number. Thought it was lower. Otherwise hoping it goes somewhere.
The real horror story is registered citizens in Duval County still having to put signs on their apartment doors or in their yards from 6:00 A.M. – Midnight on “Helloween.” 6AM, really? It’s nothing more than shaming. 6AM ensures that every parent and every child in the neighborhood, and those driving by in vehicles, know which places to vandalize later that day or night. Also, why until Midnight? Isn’t there a county curfew for minors at 10:00 P.M., every night in Duval? More shaming and targeting to harass and assault registered citizens when they come out at Midnight to take the signs down. When will it end? What can I do?
Also, for the second year in a row, the officer made no mention of Helloween or had me sign any related list of conditions when I re-registered. Is this a new tactic to entrap? Not reminding you so you forget?
My mistake, it’s 11 o’clock: Municipal Code, Children’s Curfew, Chapter 603.201). Children under 18 cannot be out at night after 11 p.m. (12 a.m. on weekends) without a guardian or adult, or unless they are engaged in a sanctioned activity, such as work.
This abuse of American citizen’s rights under the guise of a false premise must be stopped.
Studies show it doesn’t work. Studies the government and SCOTUS ignore which prove this beyond reasonable or any doubt at all.
People are harassed, stalked and murdered who have been listed with the government providing the killer with a photo and the exact address!
It provides a false sense of security for parents who have a real concern and does them the disservice of diverting attention from those most likely to abuse their child to those least likely…people of the sex offender registry!
The most terrible aspect is that the registry and this segregation, humiliation, and isolation are very un american. Everyone deserves a second chance in America. Hell, most of the people on the registry would not be there if not for taking plea bargains after being intimidated by the state or federal prosecutors and law enforcement.
The registry is garbage and the politicians who endorse it are trash.
According to JSO, WE are the number one threat to children on Helloween.
“BEFORE HALLOWEEN:
Check the FDLE website blah blah blah for sexual offenders and predators living in your neighborhood.”
Traffic concerns are addressed much further down the page:
http://www.coj.net/departments/sheriffs-office/department-of-patrol-and-enforcement/patrol-support-division/community-education-brochures-and-videos/halloween-safety-tips
They also missed a chance to mention the curfew….
I don’t celebrate Halloween so I am not concerned, but at the same time, are we able to get our family members together for some type of class action lawsuit? If my wife and child are not registered, why are they prohibited from participating in Halloween activities? If my wife wants to hand out candy, how can she be prohibited because I live there? Are we able to address that? My wife is a willing to participate in this legal action if we can bring it together.
I am with you Jm – I also thought the 5 of 100 was high? But I love Lenore Skenazy – she is a breath of fresh air and sanity in a pool of sheeple.