Portland's First School For JohnsPortland's First School For Johns

By the end of this year, Portland hopes to have its first school for Johns up and running. The program is based on the idea that Johns, men who hire prostitutes, can make a significant difference in stopping prostitution. As was recently underscored, the majority of prostitutes do not sell themselves out of choice, but are forced into it by pimps who often keep them in slave-like conditions. Demand dictates supply. If the men stop buying, the pimps will stop selling.

Portland is ranked second in the country for human trafficking and modern-day slavery, and the school is one of the actions the city is taking against such crimes. Similar programs have already been established in over 50 other cities throughout the country, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. (See the full list here.)

First-time offenders will have the option of attending the school, taught by former prostitutes and psychologists, for $1,000. The money would give the county $1 million a year. If they complete the school program and do not offend for another six months, they can walk away with a clean record.

The thinking here is that a slap on the wrist will not solve the underlying problem these men have, and that what they need is to understand how their actions harm another human being. Many Johns are under the impression that prostitutes are enjoying themselves, and have been visibly shocked and embarrassed to discover the prevalence of abuse in the illegal sex trade.

So far the concept appears to be working. In San Francisco, where the program has been established for 13 years, a study showed that fewer men had been re-arrested for soliciting prostitutes since its institution.

For more on prostitution in Portland, see Confessions of a Teenage Prostitute, Raising Awareness to Stop Human Trafficking in Portland, and this article from the Observer: Modern Day Slavery.

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