Operation Halloween Targets Sex Offenders Under Supervision

For the 11th straight year, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will impose special conditions and closely monitor supervised sex offenders to ensure the safety of children on Halloween.

About 3,000 sex offenders under supervision will be contacted by their Parole Officer this evening.

The DOCCS has also imposed special conditions on sex offenders:

• Beginning in the early afternoon on Halloween, or immediately following the end of their work day or completion of an approved community program, all sex offender parolees are to remain in their residence until 6 a.m. the following morning.
• Sex Offender Parolees cannot open their doors, distribute candy or partake in the act of “trick-or-treating.”
• Sex Offender Parolees cannot wear any costume, mask or other disguises.

In addition, county Probation Departments, which monitor approximately 5,000 sex offenders under probation supervision, also may have programs in place to monitor those offenders on Halloween. Those initiatives can vary from county to county, as Probation Departments are locally administered.