NCJ Number
209126
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 40 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2004 Pages: 41-60
Date Published
2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the effectiveness of an educational diversion program designed to change attitudes in men arrested for soliciting sex.
Abstract
Until recently, most of the criminal justice response to prostitution was aimed at women, with their male consumers largely ignored. However, there has been new attention paid to male sex consumers as local jurisdictions seek ways to combat the problem of prostitution. One outcome of the focus on the sex consumer has been an attempt to change the attitudes of these (mainly) men through educational programming, typically referred to as “john schools.” The current study assessed the effectiveness of the Prostitution Offender Program of British Columbia, a pre-charge program for male sex consumers, in changing the attitudes of 469 men who participated in the program as a diversion from typical criminal justice interventions. Participants completed anonymous questionnaires administered before and immediately after attending the program; questionnaires contained behavior and attitude measures drawn from the Attitudes Towards Prostitution Scale. Results revealed significant changes in attitudes towards prostitution, towards prostituted women, and towards purchasing sexual services. Moreover, the program was effective at changing attitudes regardless of levels of prior experiences with prostitution. The findings suggest that educational diversion programs like the one offered in British Columbia may successfully achieve the goal of changing the victimless perception of prostitution. Future evaluations should randomly assign participants to either the diversion program or to the typical criminal justice response in order to clinically assess the program’s effectiveness at changing attitudes. Tables, notes, references