- John school
John school is a type of educational intervention aimed at johns, or male clients of prostitutes; john schools are usually a
diversion program , but can also be a condition of a criminal sentence. In most jurisdictions in which john schools exist, a man arrested for soliciting the services of a prostitute, or another related offense, may be offered john school as an alternative to criminal prosecution. He will pay a fine, which covers the cost of the program and sometimes contributes to programs to aid prostitutes, and attend a series of classes. In some jurisdictions, courts may sentence men to attend a john school program as a condition of probation. These classes purport to teach about the reality of prostitution, such as the abuse histories of many prostitutes, thesexually transmitted disease risks of prostitution, and the effects of prostitution on families and communities. [ [http://www.perc.ca/PEN/1998-11/s-boddy.html "John School Helps Break the Cycle of Prostitution"] by Sharon Boddy, "Peace and Environment News", November 1998.] [ [http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0519,hunter,63812,5.html "School for Johns"] by Aina Hunter, "Village Voice ", May 10, 2005.]The first comprehensive john school program was started in San Francisco in 1995. First time male offenders are required to attend an eight hour seminar on the negative consequences of prostitution of all types on neighborhoods, the criminal justice system, and the prostitutes themselves, and face the possibility of a jail sentence if they refuse. In the first three years of the still ongoing program, now called the First Offender Prostitution Program, more than 300 women and girls left the sex trade and the recidivism rate amongst offenders was reduced to less than 5%. Since then, similar programs have been implemented in certain other communities throughout the US, including Washington DC, West Palm Beach, Buffalo, and Brooklyn, NY.
References
External links
* [http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v3n2/monto.html "Recidivism Among the Customers of Female Street Prostitutes: Do Intervention Programs Help?"] by Martin A. Monto and Steve Garcia. "Western Criminology Review" 3(2), June 2002.
* [http://www.bayswan.org/schoolforjohns.html Reports on School for Johns] , "BAYSWAN" (website). – index of reports critical of john school programs.
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNGE102OK5.DTL "John school takes a bite out of prostitution"] by Justin Berton. "San Francisco Chronicle," April 14, 2008.
* [http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/222451.pdf "Final Report on the Evaluation of the First Offender Prostitution Program: Report Summary"] by Michael Shively, Sarah Kuck Jalbert, Ryan Kling, William Rhodes, Peter Finn, Chris Flygare, Laura Tierney, Dana Hunt, David Squires, Christina Dyous, Kristin Wheeler. National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
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