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The Office of the United States Attorney, in partnership with the
Metropolitan Police Department, the District of Columbia Department
of Health, The Eleuthera Institute, The Fulton House of Hope and community
members in the District of Columbia began a diversion program that
seeks to directly address the root causes of prostitution in the District
of Columbia. The Prostitution Intervention Program offers both an
education and awareness program for the purchasers of prostitution
(The "John School") and a rehabilitation and treatment program for
prostitutes (The Bridges Program).
The "John School"
The "John School" is a 1-day, 8-hour education and awareness program.
The "Johns" receive input from a psychologist specializing in sexual
addiction, survivors of prostitution, health professionals, police,
prosecutors and local residents. The speakers aim to increase the
awareness of the "Johns" of the multitude of consequential problems
created and perpetuated in our community by sex trafficking, including
crime, health and psychological problems. All participants are afforded
the opportunity to have free, confidential and voluntary testing for
sexually transmitted diseases by specialists from the District of
Columbia Department of Health.
The Bridges Program
The Bridges Program is an outpatient program that strives to divert
women from prostitution to a more stable life by providing them with
education and group recovery support to address addictions, trauma
and oppression that often result from childhood abuse and neglect.
Bridges is an intensive three month program during which group meetings
are held five days a week to address therapeutic, addiction, and vocational
issues specifically faced by women involved in prostitution. The Bridges
program is available to prostitutes who have not previously benefited
from diversion in any jurisdiction, who do not have a pending case
involving a violent misdemeanor or any felony offense and who are
not on probation or parole for a violent misdemeanor or any felony
offense.
East of the River Community Court
On September 23, 2002, the U.S. Attorney's Office, in collaboration
with the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, Pretrial Services
Agency the D.C. Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, the
Metropolitan Police Department and the defense bar, launched a Community
Court Pilot Project for misdemeanor offenses occurring in the 6th
and 7th Police Districts. The purpose of the pilot project was to
develop a system for handling quality-of-life offenses (such as shoplifting,
prostitution, environmental crimes, destruction of property, theft,
and drug possession) based on methods of problem-solving rather than
traditional case processing. Doing so enables cases to move through
the criminal justice system swiftly ensuring more informed decisions
about each case, providing accountability for defendants, permitting
police officers to spend less time in the courtroom and more time
on the streets and benefiting the community directly.
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