# MD sex offernders will have to post "NO CANDY AT THIS RESIDENCE" signs on Halloween **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 15, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086 "2008-10-15T20:24:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/1 "2008-10-15T20:24:02Z")
[Pumpkin symbol marks sex offenders’ homes](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/15/pumpkin-marks-sex-offenders-homes/) > [@](#): > > ANNAPOLIS | The Scarlet Letter for Maryland sex offenders this Halloween will be a bright orange pumpkin. > > That is the symbol on a sign they are required to post on their doors with a warning, in capital letters, to trick-or-treaters: “No candy at this residence.” > > The paper signs began arriving last week in the mailboxes of the roughly 1,200 violent and child-sex offenders across the state with a letter explaining how they are to comport themselves on Oct. 31. > > “Halloween provides a rare opportunity for you to demonstrate to your neighbors that you are making a sincere effort to change the direction of your life,” the letter states. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/2 "2008-10-15T20:37:28Z")
I’m tempted to put that sign on my door just to keep the little brats at bay. (Probably a bad idea, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/3 "2008-10-15T20:46:36Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > I’m tempted to put that sign on my door just to keep the little brats at bay. > (Probably a bad idea, though.) Don’t their parents tell them to only go to houses where the porch light is on anymore? Porch light off = no candy was the understood rule when I was one of those little brats. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/4 "2008-10-15T20:51:23Z")
Same here! I would think that a pumpkin sign on Halloween would initially attract youngsters. All you would see from far away would be the pumpkin, not what the sign said. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/5 "2008-10-15T20:51:29Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Don’t their parents tell them to only go to houses where the porch light is on anymore? Porch light off = no candy was the understood rule when I was one of those little brats. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/6 "2008-10-15T20:56:20Z")
Why the heck do they associate a jack o lantern with sex offenders. That ruins decorations with pictures of jack o lanterns. They need to just post plain signs or some made up symbol. Worse is the jack o lantern has a mouth that implies oral sex especially with the warning it’s supposed to give. As for getting a sign like that for your yard, do you wish to get fire bombed some night? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/7 "2008-10-15T21:00:50Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Worse is the jack o lantern has a mouth that implies oral sex especially with the warning it’s supposed to give. Ah – oral sex with one big-assed tooth. That should discourage anyone. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/8 "2008-10-15T21:16:30Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > I’m tempted to put that sign on my door just to keep the little brats at bay. > (Probably a bad idea, though.) Around here, the most accepted way of saying you don’t want trick or treaters is to just leave your porch light off. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/9 "2008-10-15T21:49:37Z")
Maybe I’m missing something here. I read the linked article several times and whoever is promoting this seems to be classifying all sex offenders as pedophiles. I thought that “sex offender” included rapists and other sexually based offenders. And I agree with the “leave your porch light off” thing. That’s what I always did when I was going to bed, or on the rare occasions when I ran out of candy early. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/10 "2008-10-15T21:50:59Z")
I third the whole porch light thing–although it also helps to have your living-room lights off, and no jack-o-lantern on the doorstep. Will the police be going by to check if they have the signs up? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/11 "2008-10-15T21:57:19Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Ah – oral sex with one big-assed tooth. That should discourage anyone. Wax tooth. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/12 "2008-10-15T22:13:27Z")
I read the thread title as “M.D.” sex offenders, and thought that the number of doctors who were sex offenders must be a lot higher than I thought, to get a special restriction created just for them. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/13 "2008-10-15T22:20:54Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > Maybe I’m missing something here. I read the linked article several times and whoever is promoting this seems to be classifying all sex offenders as pedophiles. I thought that “sex offender” included rapists and other sexually based offenders. And flashers, and males who slept with their 17 year old girlfriend when 18, and people railroaded by the “Child molesters are everywhere !” hysteria, victims of bad divorces ( don’t let your wife take a photo of you bathing your children ), people who sell BDSM Internet porn interstate, and even gays who are old enough. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/14 "2008-10-15T22:27:28Z")
Instead of pumpkins, they should use silhouettes of an arm that is flexing. That’ll tell kids that the home in question belongs to a really strong ped who they should stay away from. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/15 "2008-10-15T23:23:12Z")
I’m strongly against this. Not all sex offenders are pedophiles, for Og’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/16 "2008-10-15T23:48:36Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And flashers, and **males who slept with their 17 year old girlfriend when 18** , and people railroaded by the “Child molesters are everywhere !” hysteria, victims of bad divorces ( don’t let your wife take a photo of you bathing your children ), people who sell BDSM Internet porn interstate, and even gays who are old enough. (bolding mine.) Maybe in some states, but in Maryland I don’t think so. Age of consent is 16 here, and if you’re under 19 you can legally sleep with a 15-year-old. See this chart from the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault: [http://www.mcasa.org/F/2/Chart-Statutory-Rape.htm](http://www.mcasa.org/F/2/Chart-Statutory-Rape.htm) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/17 "2008-10-16T00:06:13Z")
Unbelievably sick and wrong. How are these people (most of whom are NOT pedophiles) supposed to make a new start if we constantly call attention to them? Sick and wrong and cruel and unusual and disappointing. And I say this as a mother of two children. Would I be devastated if they were molested? Of course. But that doesn’t mean I should be able to devastate others, as well. You know what I do to help better the odds in their favor? I go trick or treating with them. I teach them they have the right to say “no” to touches they don’t want - from strangers, from Aunt Jane, from Grandma and from anyone who isn’t a doctor providing medical care. I focus on keeping them safe by empowering them, not disempowering others. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/18 "2008-10-16T00:07:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And flashers, and males who slept with their 17 year old girlfriend when 18, and people railroaded by the “Child molesters are everywhere !” hysteria, victims of bad divorces ( don’t let your wife take a photo of you bathing your children ), people who sell BDSM Internet porn interstate, and even gays who are old enough. I’ve done some more research into the Maryland sex offender registry. As far as I can tell, you can’t get on it just by having gay sex or flashing people. And BDSM porn will only get you on it if it depicts minors. See for yourself: [http://dpscs.md.gov/aboutdpscs/FAQcjis.shtml#sor](http://dpscs.md.gov/aboutdpscs/FAQcjis.shtml#sor) ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/19 "2008-10-16T00:39:01Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Unbelievably sick and wrong. How are these people (most of whom are NOT pedophiles) supposed to make a new start if we constantly call attention to them? Sick and wrong and cruel and unusual and disappointing. I just plugged my ZIP code into the Maryland Sex Offender registry to see just what kind of registered sex offenders live in my area. Of the 8 people listed, 5 are in the “Child Sexual Offenders” category, which means either they abused a minor under their care, or they did something to a person under 15. Of the remaining 3, one’s in for child pornography, one for “sexual solicitation of a minor” (this offender is only 20 years old!), and one for 2nd-degree rape. So in my neck of the woods, it’s quite possible that most of them _are_ pedophiles. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086/20 "2008-10-16T02:13:19Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Unbelievably sick and wrong. How are these people (most of whom are NOT pedophiles) supposed to make a new start if we constantly call attention to them? Sick and wrong and cruel and unusual and disappointing. There are days when I would favor the death penalty for child molesters. Not for revenge, or to prevent re-offending or because anyone who hurts a child deserves the worst penalty imaginable, but because I think it would actually be kinder than marginalizing the offender. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-sex-offernders-will-have-to-post-no-candy-at-this-residence-signs-on-halloween/468086.md?page=2)