Since the 1990s, the U.S. has seen a rise in problem-solving courts, which attempt to address criminalized behavior in non-traditional ways. Prostitution diversion programs are a type of problem-solving court that use a team approach to address underlying issues of individuals facing prostitution charges. This study is a follow-up to a previous study that examined the evolution and application of two new prostitution diversion programs in two cities. Since the original study ended in 2014, the climate of prostitution prosecution has changed in both places. To better understand lessons learned from those prostitution diversion programs, this retrospective qualitative study is being conducted. The study includes interviews with criminal legal system stakeholders (such as lawyers, community partners, and therapists) who were central to the development and implementation of those programs and with program graduates.
People Involved in this Project: Corey Shdaimah; Nancy D. Franke; Inbar Cohen
Publications: JUSTifying Scrutiny: State Power in Prostitution Diversion Programs; Converging on Empathy: Perspectives on Baltimore City's Specialized Prostitution Diversion Program; "First and Foremost They're Survivors": Selective Manipulation, Resilience, and Assertion Among Prostitute Women; "We'll Take the Tough Ones": Expertise in Problem-Solving Justice; "I Have Different Goals Than you, we Can't be a Team": Navigating the Tensions of a Courtroom Workgropu in a Prostitution Diversion Program