The Times Union has failed its readers by posting on the social media site Pinterest the photos of convicted sex offenders in the four counties of the Capital Region. It's sex offender Halloween hysteria ("Keeping children safe on Halloween," Oct. 30).
Dr. Jill Levenson's 2009 study, "How safe are trick-or-treaters? An analysis of sex crimes on Halloween," reported that non-familial sex crimes against children on Halloween account for less than 0.2 percent of all Halloween crime incidents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the biggest Halloween danger children face is being hit by a vehicle.
Halloween hysteria is rooted in the stubborn myth of high sex offender recidivism. In reality, re-offense rates are in the single digits, according to years of research. Perpetuating this false belief significantly increases the risk that the innocent children and families of former offenders will be targeted on a holiday that often involves criminal mischief.
The overwhelming majority of child victims are abused by family members or acquaintances behind closed doors in a familiar place — not stemming from three-second candy exchanges with strangers.
Furthermore, many sex offenders have not victimized children. In fact, children account for more than a third of all sex crimes committed against other minors.
This information does not take away from the suffering of sexual abuse victims. It merely provides a basis for effective safety measures.
I urge the Times Union to go forth with a renewed promise to deliver factual information. Anecdote doesn't protect children; facts do.
SHANA ROWAN
Oneida
Sex offender registry
reform advocate
http://www.endsexcrime.org/theproof.html