Court ruling changes requirements for sex offenders on Halloween

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A ruling from the Missouri State Supreme Court has changed the trick-or-treating landscape.

Starting this year, registered sex offenders are no longer required to identify their homes with the sign, "No candy or treats at this residence."

Enacted in 2008, the initial law required that any person registered as a sexual offender be required to follow a strict set of rules on Halloween

• Avoid all Halloween-related contact with children;
• Remain inside his or her residence between the hours of 5 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. unless required to be elsewhere for just cause, including but not limited to employment or medical emergencies;
• Post a sign at his or her residence stating, "No candy or treats at this residence"; and
• Leave all outside residential lighting off during the evening hours after 5 p.m.

Sex offenders will still be required to follow the other rules of avoiding children, remaining inside and turning lights off.

This ruling was made earlier in October by U.S. District Judge John Ross who deemed the law unconstitutional and that it violated the First Amendment by forcing "compelled speech." First Amendment protection includes the right to speak freely and the right to refrain from speaking at all which "compelled speech" violates.

In previous years, Cole and Callaway County sheriff's departments conducted checks at the homes of sex offenders to ensure compliance with the rules.

Captain Brian Leer of the Boone County Sheriff's Office advises concerned parents to check Missouri's sex offender registry before trick-or-treating.

"Everybody's got a smartphone as they pull up in the neighborhood," Leer said. "They can stop for a couple of minutes,  pull it up and see if there's any registered sex offenders in the neighborhood and just simply avoid that house."

This is an ongoing story.