United Way Resource Book
This method cost 2%.
The book lists several small operations in the area as outreach centers for abused or drug addicted women. These services are small in scope and limited in the number of clients they serve. Many of the service providers discourage accepting prostitutes as clients because their funding sources don’t always approve of this type of client. Several of the area churches have limited resources and can only assist a small number of clients.
Response Revealed
Help prostitutes to quit.
Show/Hide DetailsStreet prostitutes typically need help if they are to quit prostitution. They often need drug and alcohol treatment, mental health treatment, transitional housing, case management, peer support/mentoring, child care, job training, health care, confidential HIV testing, psychological counseling, transportation, self-defense training, legal aid, and employment assistance.
Some communities offer a service-and-support network through either precharge or postcharge diversion programs, and some even offer these programs on the street, with no formal connection to the criminal justice system. Although these programs do not necessarily persuade many prostitutes to quit, they seem essential for those who are motivated to do so, and they can be effective in reducing some of the risks to street prostitutes, such as sexually transmitted disease and assault.
Response Revealed
Educate and warn high-risk prostitute and client populations.
Show/Hide DetailsWorking with other institutions, you can target education and warning messages to groups especially likely to become involved in prostitution, as either prostitutes or clients.
Certain groups are especially vulnerable to being recruited or drawn to street prostitution, among them juvenile offenders, juvenile runaways and juveniles in group homes (residential custody). Young people who are at high risk for being recruited into prostitution usually have multiple critical social and psychological problems that require attention if they are to be kept out of prostitution.
Among the high-risk client groups are male conventioneers, male soldiers, and previously arrested clients. The education and warning information can be conveyed through letters, lectures, video presentations, billboards, warning signs, or media outlets. A growing number of jurisdictions have established court-ordered education programs for convicted clients. These so-called "john schools" confront prostitution clients about the consequences of their behavior. They usually include information about the legal and health consequences for clients, the impact of street prostitution on the community, and the negative effects of prostitution on prostitutes. Recidivism rates for clients who participate in court-ordered education programs are low (around 2% to 7%). It is less clear what added deterrent value there is in the education program beyond what is achieved by any official intervention, from a warning to an arrest.
