First Offender Prostitution Program - Interview at the National Institute of Justice

• NCJ Number: 234702
• Date Published: August 2009
• Length: 2 pages
• Author(s): Michael Shively
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description, Presentation (Multimedia), Interview, Conference Material

Annotation

This video and its transcript cover an Interview with Michael Shively about what is required to operate a cost-effective John's School, which is a program of instruction designed to prevent first-offender patrons of prostitutes ( called "Johns") from reoffending.

Abstract

A criminal justice system that is considering launching such a program must first ensure that the resources and law enforcement training are sufficient to prepare officers to make a significant number of arrests of Johns, so as to ensure that the program will have a sufficient number of participants to support a successful program. It is also important to ensure that the court makes participation in the John School part of sentencing rather than an optional diversion program, which should provide participant numbers sufficient to support the program. The national average cost for a John School is $400 per participant. There should be a sliding scale for cost based on an offender's ability to pay the fee. Some programs set fees at a level that will help cover services for survivors of the commercial sex industry.