SEATTLE -- New research indicates that men arrested for buying sex from prostitutes are much less likely to continue their prostitution activity than clients of prostitutes not arrested for such behavior.
The study, published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE, was carried out by a team of researchers led by Devon D. Brewer, director of the research firm Interdisciplinary Scientific Research. "Our findings are unexpected, because previous studies of youth indicated that arrest had no effect on, or even in creased, their delinquent and criminal behavior," Brewer said.
The researchers analyzed police records of clients, or "johns", arrested for prostitution in Colorado Springs, USA, and information on clients who sought HIV testing at the local health department or were involved in a large health department study of prostitutes and their sex partners. Arrested clients were usually caught in stings where female police officers posed as prostitutes in high-prostitution areas, and nearly all arrested clients were convicted. Clients first identified by arrest were similar to those first identified by the health department in terms of their demographic characteristics and prostitution activity. The researchers also examined records from several states in the USA and found that clients, after being arrested, did not appear to seek prostitutes in other communities or prostitutes who work in off-street settings.
These results suggest that simply arresting and prosecuting clients of prostitutes may be enough of a deterrent that additional interventions, such as sending clients to 'john schools' or educational programs that emphasize the harms of prostitution, may be unnecessary to lower recidivism," Brewer noted. "However, because only a very small percentage of clients in a community are arrested, other strategies and increased enforcement may be necessary to reduce the demand for prostitution further."
Disclaimer
The following press release refers to an upcoming article in PLoS ONE. It has been contributed by the article authors and/or their institutions. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or the editors of PLoS ONE.
The research was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.
Co-authors of the study include John J. Potterat, an independent consultant in Colorado Springs, Stephen Q. Muth, of Quintus-ential Solutions in Colorado Springs, and John M. Roberts, Jr., of the University of New Mexico.
Citation: Brewer DD, Potterat JJ, Muth SQ, Roberts JM (2006) A Large Specific Dete rrent Effect of Arrest for Patronizing a Prostitute. PLoS ONE 1(1): e60. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000060
PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000060
PRESS ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/pone-01-01-brewer.pdf
Journal
PLoS ONE