Sex offenders under community supervision in Tennessee are required to be in their homes with porch lights off on Halloween. They cannot decorate or give out candy.
Offenders are not allowed to take children trick or treating or to seasonal activities such as corn mazes and hay rides. This applies even to their own children.
According to a news release from the Tennessee Department of Correction, "Operation Blackout is an extra layer of accountability during the Halloween season."
Robin Vander Wall is vice chair of the National Association for Rational Sex Offense Laws. He says restrictions like Tennessee's make people feel safer, but research has shown children are not at increased danger from registered sex offenders at Halloween.
Vander Wall says the main danger to children at Halloween is cars.
