Arrested johns can be ordered to perform community service as a condition of a diversion procedure or a sentence. Service might include such activities as cleaning streets where prostitution is known to occur. For most johns, community service obligations range from four to 50 hours and are coupled with other sanctions such as fines, fees, shaming, probation, and/or john schools.
For Abt’s National Assessment project, we collected data on community service practices applied to sex buyers in 54 cities and counties.
To learn more about this intervention, access the resources provided below.
Overview of Community Service for Arrested Sex Buyers in the U.S.
- Community Service Overview from National Assessment (PDF, 39 KB)
Study Finds 10 Percent of Sex Buyers Sentenced to Community Service in Denver
- Morris et al. (2012). Prostitution and Denver’s Criminal Justice System: Who Pays? (PDF, 939KB) Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking.
Municipal Ordinance on Prostitution Authorizing Community Service as Punishment
- Denver, CO: City and County of Denver Municipal Code (DOCX, 14.8KB)
News Reports Referring to Community Service for Sex Buyers
- Aurora, IL:
- Coralville, IA:
- New York, NY:
- Philadelphia, PA:
- Rochester, NY: