How John School Diversion Programs Reduce Harm

On dark streets late at night, men are soliciting sex. It’s a perennial societal problem that does great harm to the participants, neighborhood, and community. Those arrested for solicitation often are referred to a John School Diversion Program to change their behavior. Specifically, these programs use the increasingly popular Nordic model of reducing the number of sex workers by reducing the demand for sex by solicitation.

The harm that comes to sex workers and society includes:

• Violence
• Abuse
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Psychological Damage to Johns, Pimps, & Sex Workers
• Objectification of Women
• Impact of Street Prostitution on Neighborhoods -- Debris, Such as Condoms, & a Bad
• Reputation for the Neighborhood

How Online Programs Help
The concern over COVID 19 has moved classroom programs online, which has had a significant positive impact on the John School Diversion Program. It allows students to be anonymous, which encourages more offenders to attend. And it is less costly than classroom programs. Plus, these online classes are easy for law enforcement and the courts to assign.

 

With the success of online programs, it’s simpler for a John School Diversion Program to reach its goals:

• Protect Public Health
• Prevent the Exploitation of Sex Workers (Primarily Women)
• Prevent Sex from Serving as a Commodity
• Stop Violence Against Sex Workers
• Preserve Religious & Family Values