John school is a form of educational intervention that caters to the clients of prostitutes , who are colloquially known as "johns" in North America. Societal norms deemed the behavior of clients and their engagement in sex work as atypical, so john schools work to address this. John schools originated in San Francisco due to community frustrations about the great occurrence of street prostitution in their areas and the lack of effective policies to combat the sex industry. Schools similar to the San Francisco one were established throughout the country and in multiple nations.
John schools are usually a diversion program for people - almost exclusively men - arrested for soliciting the services of a prostitute, or another related offense.
This often acts as an alternative to criminal prosecutions. However, in some jurisdictions, courts may sentence men to attend a john school program as a condition of probation. John schools often last a few months and usually have weekly sessions. Their focus is often on the experiences and harms of prostitution, such as the violence associated with prostitution , the sexually transmitted disease risks of prostitution, and the effects of prostitution on families and communities.
The fee frequently covers the cost of the program and sometimes contributes to programs to aid prostitutes, or community projects within red light districts. Generally speaking, there is no definitive evidence demonstrating whether or not john schools have been able to reduce the number of people who hire prostitutes.
Before the origin of john schools, officials were mainly concerned with finding and arresting sex workers themselves. A conviction would also appear on their record which would make it difficult to find work outside of the sex trade, forcing them to resort back to it for a living.
