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Patch Publishes Completely Unnecessary Sex Offender Maps to Keep Kids Safe on Halloween
A lot of DUers hate it when I link to articles in Reason, so without further ado:
VeryHiddenGeniusHat Retweeted
Every year at Halloween time, http://Patch.com publishes maps showing the addresses of sex offenders. But virtually no sex offender has ever attacked a child on Halloween. In most respects it's one of the safest nights of the year. So why do this?
Link to tweet
Patch Publishes Completely Unnecessary Sex Offender Maps to Keep Kids Safe on Halloween
There is zero evidence that sex offenders prey on trick or treaters.
Lenore Skenazy|Oct. 15, 2018 5:35 pm
Every year around Halloween time, Patch, the news website specializing in local coverage around the country, publishes maps that show where sex offenders live. Patch claims this is some kind of public service, even though a thorough study of 67,000 cases of child molestation found zero increase in sex crimes against children on Halloween.
The vast majority of crimes against children are not committed by strangers, but by people close to the kids. Stranger danger is actually pointing worried parents in the wrong direction.
What's more, sex offenders are not especially likely to go after kids on Halloween. Contrary to popular belief, "across the board the majority of sexual offenders do not go on to reoffend," says Jill Levenson, a professor of social work who has studied Halloween crimes.
In other words, Patch publishes a list of people who have served their time and are extremely unlikely to offend again, in order to make parents terrified that the people at those addresses are out to hurt their kids.
....
Lenore Skenazy is founder of the book and blog Free-Range Kids, and president of the nonprofit Let Grow.
There is zero evidence that sex offenders prey on trick or treaters.
Lenore Skenazy|Oct. 15, 2018 5:35 pm
Every year around Halloween time, Patch, the news website specializing in local coverage around the country, publishes maps that show where sex offenders live. Patch claims this is some kind of public service, even though a thorough study of 67,000 cases of child molestation found zero increase in sex crimes against children on Halloween.
The vast majority of crimes against children are not committed by strangers, but by people close to the kids. Stranger danger is actually pointing worried parents in the wrong direction.
What's more, sex offenders are not especially likely to go after kids on Halloween. Contrary to popular belief, "across the board the majority of sexual offenders do not go on to reoffend," says Jill Levenson, a professor of social work who has studied Halloween crimes.
In other words, Patch publishes a list of people who have served their time and are extremely unlikely to offend again, in order to make parents terrified that the people at those addresses are out to hurt their kids.
....
Lenore Skenazy is founder of the book and blog Free-Range Kids, and president of the nonprofit Let Grow.
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