The crisp cool air and short nights are upon us, and Halloween is near. While Halloween brings excitement to children with the thoughts of wearing costumes, eating candy, and ghoulish monsters, it often brings fear to parents with the thoughts of another type of monster. The one that lures children in with sweets and then sexually abuses them.
To protect against this monster on Halloween, law enforcement spends a great deal of time checking on registered sex offenders and many states have adopted laws that precludes sex offenders from handing out candy, driving after dark, and requires them to stay in their homes during this time. Some go as far as to require them to place signs in their front yards that say “No Candy At This Residence.” While these policies may seem stringent, let’s face it, they are sex offenders, and these laws and police practices do protect our children, right?
According to a study published by Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, it seems that may not be the case. The study used crime data from 1997 through 2005, in which 67,045 non-familial sex crimes against children age 12 and younger were examined. There were no significant increases in sex crimes on or around Halloween, and Halloween incidents did not demonstrate unusual case characteristics before and after these laws were enacted. This study questions the justification of using police resources to check on registered sex offenders when other public safety concerns are more prevalent on Halloween. For instance, according to the Center for Disease Control, children are four times more likely to be killed from being stuck by a motor vehicle on Halloween than on any other day of the year. Police limiting vehicle traffic during Halloween, patrolling more in neighborhoods with high pedestrian traffic, and focusing on awareness campaigns concerning pedestrian safety during Halloween would do more in protecting our children than checking on already registered sex offenders.
Read the Remainder at Medium
Reblogged this on Brittius.