Trick-or-treaters must heed the sign of the pumpkin

Fear the pumpkin.

There's at least one decoration to avoid this Halloween: a poster with a bright-orange, stern-looking pumpkin and the words "No candy at this residence" printed across the middle.

This is a warning to stay away. It means that a convicted child sex offender or a convicted violent sex offender lives at the house.

Don't trick-or-treat.

That's the word from the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation, which came up with the pumpkin idea to dress up signs it has ordered convicted sex offenders to hang on their doors for the past two Halloweens. Before this year, the sign simply said, in effect: "No candy."

Seemed kind of a drab for a festive pagan holiday.

"It stands out more," said Patrick McGee, the parole and probation director, who is proud of the pumpkin. "We just thought it would be more in line with the season. There was no deep scientific thought behind it. We just thought it was a little softer than just saying 'No candy.' "

The letter to offenders, the poster and tips for parents are posted on my crime blog. But a few problems come to mind:

A pumpkin might attract rather than deter children. (McGee volunteered this concern to me himself.) It might identify houses of sex offenders as targets, though McGee said that hasn't happened in previous years. It might prompt children to ask tough questions of their parents and force discussions they might not be ready for.

Parole and probation offices across the country have stepped up enforcement on Halloween for the past several years. Surprise visits and curfews for sex offenders have become the norm. In Maryland, many offenders received letters requiring them to be home from 6 a.m. on Halloween until the next morning, ordering them to keep their lights off and not to answer the door and not to participate in events at shopping malls or in their community.

"The Division of Parole and Probation believes that the Halloween season 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 reads, adding that the rules "will enable the children and parents in your neighborhood to enjoy the holiday without undue anxiety."

The crackdown stems from the obvious: A parade of children begging for candy "doesn't help if you're trying to stay crime-free," McGee said. "This reduces the risk to people and children, and helps remind offenders that people are out there trying to control them."

There are about 2,300 registered sex offenders in Maryland. About 1,200 qualify for the pumpkin posters. For those who are required to stay away from children as part of their release, not displaying the pumpkin can mean more jail time; for others, not following the rules could mean more restrictions.

I wonder whether another tactic might work: Keep a low profile. Make the house of a sex offender as uninviting as possible, without calling attention to who lives there. No signs. No goblins on the door. No lights. Then parents, who should be accompanying their children anyway, can assume the house is empty or the occupants aren't home, and skip it altogether - no questions asked.