Annual Meeting Keeps Sex Offenders Off Streets For Halloween

WHITE PLAINS, NY — For the 17th year, Westchester County sex offenders will be required to attend an anti-sexual abuse victim impact program designed to keep sex offenders off the streets while trick-or-treaters are out and about.

The annual program, run by the Westchester County Probation Department, will see more than 100 registered and non-registered sex offenders who are on probation in the county attend an educational program at the Westchester County Courthouse from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Organizers said the people required to attend will hear compelling accounts of devastation perpetrated on children and adult victims and gain insight into how those acts can reverberate through a victim’s life.

Curtis St. John, the past president/media coordinator of MaleSurvivor.org, will share his experiences regarding the impact of abuse as well as his road to recovery.

Author, speaker and survivor Wiley K. March will speak on issues surrounding multiple types of abuse and the long-term psychological damage.

Licensed clinicians will discuss with sex offenders how their individual crimes have impacted victims and what it means to take responsibility. There will also be a family member of a sexual violence survivor speaking at the event.

While the program is taking place, probation officers will be in the community tracking down those who failed to report to the event.

At the end of the program, in order to provide an added measure of safety to the community, sex offenders will not be allowed to use public transportation, according to a spokesperson. Anyone needing a ride home from the event will be driven by probation officers.