Over 100 Sex Offenders Will Be Guests Of Probation Department When Trick-Or-Treaters Hit The Streets

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Parents in Westchester will have one less thing to worry about when the kids don costumes and head out to collect treats.

County officials say that when it comes time for trick-or-treaters to knock on doors this Halloween, local sex offenders will once again be attending an anti-sexual abuse victim impact program designed to keep sex offenders off the streets. The annual program is run by the Westchester County Department of Probation.

Over 100 registered and non-registered sex offenders on probation in Westchester County are required to attend an educational program at the Westchester County Courthouse on Friday, October 31, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The program is designed to educate offenders and raise awareness about the impact of their actions, according to authorities.

While the program is in progress, probation officers will be tracking down offenders who fail to attend the event.

To ensure community safety, offenders will not be allowed to use public transportation after the event. Probation officers will provide transportation home for any offender who needs it, according to the department.

The offenders will hear accounts of devastation endured by children and adult victims of sex abuse, and gain insight into how those acts can reverberate through a victim's life, according to the organizers.

One speaker will be Annie Seifullah, Esq., who is the Co-Founder of Incendii Law. She specializes in supporting victims of technology-facilitated abuse, and is herself a survivor of domestic violence and sexual abuse. A second presenter, Wiley K. March, is an author and founder of the Tiamberus Network, an organization that helps sex abuse survivors.

Josefa Romero, Program Director of Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) Crime Victims Advocacy Support Services Program (CVASSP), and Celia Megias, also of WJCS, will conduct educational sessions for Spanish-speaking sex offenders.