All news articles concerning Halloween restrictions placed on sex offenders are listed within this Halloween commentary.(Note: This will be updated as more articles are found. After Halloween, articles showing violations will be posted.)
Comment of parents in Wisconsin:
"Many parents say they aren't too worried about sex offenders on Halloween, but they have checked the internet to know what houses to avoid. "You can look at the map and there are sex offenders in Madison," said Michele Miller Hayes, a Madison parent. "I guess it's not a big concern for me because my kids aren't going out alone. We're going to be with them at every... I mean we probably won't go to every door, but we'll be at every drive way." (Quote from news article)
Comment from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:
Neither San Antonio police nor the Bexar County Sheriff's Office could recall any such Halloween-related instances here. At the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Kristen Anderson, the director of the case analysis division for sex offender tracking, said no one really tracks that information. But from the center's collected data, Anderson found only nine nonfamily child abductions reported between Oct. 29 and Nov. 1 over a five-year period. None, she said, appeared to have any connection to Halloween. (Quote from news article)
10-22-2008 National:
Question: Does law enforcement consider parents to be dumb? Is all this hysteria necessary? Are children really in danger?
Why ask these questions?
Consider this, sex offenders have lived in communities since the beginning of time, and more recently communities have learned of their presence through online registries and other notification methods. No one can dispute this.
In line with this, parents have known who lives one two three doors, one block, one mile etc., away from them for some time. Unless someone, under the guise of public safety, has been harassing these offenders causing them to move from neighborhood to neighborhood, these offenders generally stay put trying to live their lives without causing problems.
Based on that knowledge parents have already taught their children where not to go, children can learn and they do learn and follow cautions given them by their parents. Further, come a day like Halloween most parents accompany their children when they go out trick-or-treating.
Then why is it that SOME local law enforcement agencies feel compelled to cause a public panic one day a year, Halloween, going so far as to want to lock up registered offenders for 2-3-4 hours? The mere mention of such policies incites, first the media into a frenzy because they see income, and the public because -all of a sudden- some folks start to FEAR something which they have already assessed and handled protecting their children.
And I include in law enforcement, Parole and Probation Agencies, who have already approved the placement of such offenders in communities. Further, by placing these offenders in the community these agents have told the community, we (Placement Officers) consider these offenders -at these residences- safe for the community.
Then, without any conduct by the offenders, the Placement Officers or their offices, also incite the public to panic one day a year, Halloween, and yes, some even want to lock the offenders up by making them report to a local parole or probation office for 2-3-4 hours on Halloween. Are these Placement Officers second guessing their own competence in decision-making?
Why does all this have to happen, why?
The best answer is, there are folks in positions of power (law enforcement and corrections people) who have an intense need to feel needed, they want the public to feel that, they are needed to control this danger which the public faces; obviously a hypothetical danger, remember offenders were placed by the same people who now claim "danger," and now say "watch and I will protect you," hence, enforcing restrictions which do not exist the other 364 3/4 days of the year.
John Q Public, this is a big scam by persons who think nothing of abusing their powers, under a pretext, then leave the public without answers and wondering what just happened?
But, if these folks in power today are cornered and forced to answer the question, they will claim, -one time in history in Wisconsin- there was a horrendous crime committed on Halloween to a young girl who was trick and treating, without her parents, and she was horribly murdered. Yes, that is the only reported crime on Halloween to someone trick or treating.
But these folks WILL NOT TELL YOU what has been done since that time to prevent such a crime from happening today. The foregoing explains some of the preventive steps, and never forget, parents are more atuned to societal dangers today than they were back then.
Additionally, these same folks WILL NOT ANSWER: If, if there is a danger one quarter of a day a year, why -in Heaven's name- are they (folks in position of power) walking away from that danger for the other 364 3/4 days of the year?
Finally, as you review the articles claiming that registered sex offenders are the threat to children on Halloween, notice what those folks fail to mention, THE REAL DANGERS TO CHILDREN ON HALLOWEEN: See ONE -- TWO -- THREE -- FOUR -- FIVE articles explaining real dangers.
Please tell me, please.........I really am not dumb, I just want to be a better parent, and don't want to feel violated 364 3/4 days of the year.
Musings of eAdvocate based on e-mails and news articles!
One more thing: Critically important to parents, the U.S. Department of Justice found during their study on sex offender recidivism. They found, 1.3% of the non sex offenders released from prison went on to commit a first time sex offense; then 262,420 non sex offenders were released and they committed 3,328 FIRST TIME sex offenses (Note: sex offenders committed 517 in the same time period). Will your child visit a home of a non sex offender recently released from prison, of which NONE are on any registry today? Law enforcement never mentions these folks to the public. Why?
Food for thought:
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PARENTS: How many parents would be considered a "sex offender" TODAY if they had been convicted of their youthful sexual escapades. Sexual escapades YESTERDAY being sexual crimes TODAY. Do I hear some saying, thankfully no one knows of the YESTERDAYS, TODAY. Wherever that is applicable, are they part of the 100,000 claimed to be missing from registries TODAY? Remember, these parents are handing out candy to children TODAY and their homes will not likely be darkened, and are not on any registry.
who must stay indoors on Halloween, from this news site.
Halloween is no costume ball for parents
Sex offender sets up elaborate Halloween display in Atascadero
1 comment:
It also should be pointed out that the 1973 Halloween murder of Lisa Ann French was committed by someone with no previous criminal record. The current registry and Halloween laws would have done nothing to prevent this crime.
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