Final Report on the Evaluation of the First Offender Prostitution Program

• NCJ Number: 221894
• Author(s): Michael Shively Ph.D; Sarah Kuck Jalbert; Ryan Kling; William Rhodes Ph.D; Peter Finn; Chris Flygare; Laura Tierney; Dana Hunt Ph.D; David Squires; Christina Dyous; Kristin Wheeler
• Date Published: March 2008
• Length: 245 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2005-DD-BX-0037
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Award: Evaluations of Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention FY 2003 Discretionary Funds Projects

Annotation

This report presents the methodology and findings of an evaluation of San Francisco's First Offender Prostitution Program (FOPP), which is designed to reduce the demand for commercial sex and human trafficking by educating men arrested for soliciting prostitutes ("johns") about the adverse consequences of prostitution.

Abstract

The process phase of the evaluation found that the FOPP has been well-conceived and based upon a logically sound model, and it has been implemented as intended. Further, it has been organizationally stable and sustainable. Findings from the outcome phase of the evaluation show that the FOPP has substantially reduced recidivism among men arrested for soliciting prostitutes. The program has been cost-effective, in that it has operated for over 12 years without any cost to taxpayers while generating nearly $1 million for recovery programs that target providers of commercial sex. The program is also transferable, as shown by its successful replication in 12 other U.S. sites and adapted in some form in just over 25 additional U.S. sites over the past decade. Suggestions for program improvement include adding curriculum elements that build skills that enable men to find ways to meet their needs more positively than through commercial sex. Other suggestions are to add aftercare and conduct Web-based reverse stings in responding to changes in the commercial sex market. Suggestions are also offered for future research and the dispensing of practical information on "john" schools to those planning or implementing such programs. Evaluation data were collected through site visits, police "ride alongs," interviews, program documents, administrative records, structured observation of "john" school classes, preclass and postclass surveys of participants, and "john" criminal histories. 33 tables, 8 figures, a 322-item bibliography, and appended evaluation instruments and protocols