All Show, No Go

New Jersey has passed laws that make it illegal for registered sex offenders to give out Halloween candy. Other states may be following suit. While I don't have a specific objection to these laws, I don't think they'll do much good. They are more likely to lull the populace into thinking that something constructive has been done.

Who is affected?

These laws will affect the 2,200 sex offenders registered in the state. According to CNN, sixty parole officers will check on the offenders, along with members of the 12 district offices. I don't know how many officers that adds up to, or how many offenders each officer will be required to check on, in addition to their other duties. I could be wrong, but I suspect that despite the best efforts of these understaffed and overworked officials, enforcement of the law will be spotty at best.

The law also ignores some of the few facts we know about sex offenders. How many of these registered offenders have used poisoned or drugged candy (or any food) to victimize children? I don't have any numbers on that, but I suspect that it's a relatively rare technique. Sex offenders tend to stay with their own preferred method of assault.

What is really accomplished?

Obviously, if these laws prevent even one new assault, they're worthwhile. But this kind of law is what they call in the armed forces, "All show and no go." In Texas they say, "All hat, no cattle."

Why am I being so negative? Because these kinds of laws generate a lot of publicity, and tend to lull the public into thinking that something worthwhile is being accomplished. But funding for Child Abuse Prevention efforts remains criminally low; Child Abuse Prevention agencies remain horribly understaffed; education and training of children remains unacceptably low, and monitoring and supervision of sex offenders is still dangerously inadequate because budget cuts have completely over-stretched the capabilities of the officers that remain. A high-profile law like this Halloween restriction gives elected officials a way to seem like they're tough on sex offenders, without having to do anything that would cost any money or make a significant difference in the problem.

The real problem

At the risk of repeating myself, the real problem is this:

• The vast majority of sex offenders remain at large, undiscovered and unmonitored.
• Budget cuts have dramatically reduced the number of experts who can catch and convict these offenders.
• Treatment for victims of sex crimes remains uncommon.
• Budget cuts have almost eliminated training programs for children that will empower them to avoid being victimized.
• Awareness of resources for victims remains low.
• The current criminal justice system has made little or no progress in making it easier for victims to report sex crimes; nor has it improved its ability to achieve justice for those victims.
• State budget cuts have dramatically reduced the number of Child Abuse Prevention advocates, who are the single best weapon we have in fighting child abuse.

Talk is cheap

Don't let the politicians fool you. Laws like this Halloween Candy law may be good-faith efforts by law enforcement to reduce danger to children, but they can't even come close to correcting the damage done by program-cutting politicians. If you see a politician taking credit for the Halloween Candy law, think of how the armed forces would describe it. Think of how Texans would describe it. Or think of Shakespeare's line in Macbeth: "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."