M
MrEasy
Prostitute Clients to Get Clean-Up Work
April 15, 2002 08:25 AM ET
TORONTO (Reuters) - Men convicted of picking up prostitutes will soon be picking up condoms, needles and sex-trade debris from the streets of an inner-city Calgary district as part of a community service alternative to jail.
Staff sergeant Dean Young, head of the Calgary police vice unit, said on Friday that crews of "johns," dressed in orange prison jumpsuits, would be put to work in areas where prostitution tends to occur. It was probably the first program of its kind in Canada, he said.
"This is a restorative justice program," said Young. "They're part of the sex trade so this gives them an opportunity to see the harm they've done. This will make the community safer for our children."
The carrot for the convicted men is that they will have no criminal record once they complete their community service sentence. Each participant must complete 16 hours with the work crew, abstain from visiting hooker-known areas, and donate C$200-C$600 ($125-$380) to agencies that help prostitutes get off the street.
Stephen Jenuth, president of the Alberta Civil Liberties Association, said the program is meant to humiliate convicts for the public's pleasure.
"The program is fundamentally flawed," said Jenuth. "It doesn't solve the question of why men and women go to pick up prostitutes. Instead, it gives the public an opportunity to drive by and laugh at people. It's something that ought not to be happening in a civilized country."
April 15, 2002 08:25 AM ET
TORONTO (Reuters) - Men convicted of picking up prostitutes will soon be picking up condoms, needles and sex-trade debris from the streets of an inner-city Calgary district as part of a community service alternative to jail.
Staff sergeant Dean Young, head of the Calgary police vice unit, said on Friday that crews of "johns," dressed in orange prison jumpsuits, would be put to work in areas where prostitution tends to occur. It was probably the first program of its kind in Canada, he said.
"This is a restorative justice program," said Young. "They're part of the sex trade so this gives them an opportunity to see the harm they've done. This will make the community safer for our children."
The carrot for the convicted men is that they will have no criminal record once they complete their community service sentence. Each participant must complete 16 hours with the work crew, abstain from visiting hooker-known areas, and donate C$200-C$600 ($125-$380) to agencies that help prostitutes get off the street.
Stephen Jenuth, president of the Alberta Civil Liberties Association, said the program is meant to humiliate convicts for the public's pleasure.
"The program is fundamentally flawed," said Jenuth. "It doesn't solve the question of why men and women go to pick up prostitutes. Instead, it gives the public an opportunity to drive by and laugh at people. It's something that ought not to be happening in a civilized country."
