WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- This Halloween marks the fourth consecutive year in which Virginia urges officials to keep sex offenders away from children seeking a trick or a treat.
A spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Corrections wants the state's probation offices to order all 12,820 sex offenders, most of whom are violent offenders, to keep exterior (porch) lights off or report to a government office until Sunday's "Trick or Treat" activities are finished, the Washington Post reported Saturday.
Probation departments that participate can require sex offenders to attend a meeting from dusk until about 9 p.m. Sunday or require them to stay home with the porch lights out and not hand out any candy.
"We are trying to ensure no new victims during a high-risk time when youth are in the community trick-or-treating," said Larry Traylor, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections. "We're trying our best to keep the public safe."
