Halloween Sex Offender Laws

If you are a registered sex offender, you may be curious as to how this will impact your Halloween. Typically, Halloween involves opening your door to greet dozens of costumed children and giving them candy when they shout trick-or-treat. Interestingly enough, more and more people are restricting sex offenders from participating in the activities of Halloween. Some states have laws which forbid all sex offenders from passing out candy to the children who come to their door, and other states have ruled that sex offenders are not allowed to drive after dark on this holiday.

In states where sex offenders are not allowed to pass out candy, they typically have to post a sign outside their door that says “no candy at this residence” in order to discourage children from knocking on the door. If they fail to abide by the rules, the police will most likely be the ones knocking. In Florida, for example, paroled sex offenders are not allowed to pass out candy or wear costumes on the night of Halloween. In California, sex offenders must be in their homes with the lights out by 10:00, and police have every right to stop by the residency and make sure that they are obeying the commands.

Here in the United States, the state works under a law called Halloween: Zero Tolerance. This law mandates that state investigators have the right to make unannounced home visits to any sex offenders in the area. They can also perform curfew checks or make a few phone calls to make sure that sex offenders are in their homes. Some jurisdictions will prohibit sex offenders from wearing masks or visiting corn mazes and haunted houses. These laws are mere suggestions- a sex offender who refuses to listen to the law can be sent to prison for three years, even if he was simply passing out candy. If you have violated a sex offender Halloween law, then you will want a Bronx criminal defense attorney on your side to help you seek a lighter sentence in court. Talk to someone today for more information!