Preventing Prostitution

There is a "school" in San Francisco that can reduce recidivism. The First Offender Prostitution Program reduces the demand for prostitutes by educating prostitutes' "customers" about the negative results of their behavior.

The San Francisco District Attorney's office screens men who are arrested for soliciting prostitutes to see if they are eligible to attend the program. Those who qualify can choose between facing prosecution or paying a fee to attend a one-day class (known generically as the "john school").

An evaluation of the "john school" found that men who attended said they changed their attitudes and behavior. The evaluators found that the program significantly reduces rearrests related to prostitution.

The program is a partnership of the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, the San Francisco Police Department, a local nonprofit called Standing Against Global Exploitation, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and several non-governmental organizations.

Read the summary of the evaluation (pdf, 18 pages). Read the full report of the evaluation (pdf, 246 pages).