BALTIMORE – To discourage contact with children, some registered sex offenders in Maryland will be asked to post signs at their homes that say “No Candy at This Residence” on Halloween.

For the second straight year, parole and probation agents plan to team with local police to dissuade sex offenders who are not allowed to have contact with children from participating in the holiday.

“We actually print out the signs for the offenders and hand them to them,” said Elizabeth Bartholomew, a spokeswoman for the Division of Parole and Probation. “We expect them to post the signs.”

The program is based on similar initiatives in other states.

The effort is particularly intense in Baltimore, home to more than 200 offenders who are barred from contact with children.

In addition to the signs, all such offenders have been advised in a letter to stay home from 6 p.m. on Halloween until the next morning, leave their lights off and refuse to answer their doors.