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The San Francisco District Attorney's First
Offender Prostitution Program (FOPP), established by SAGE founder
Norma Hotaling in March 1995, is a collaborative effort between
the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, the S.F. Police
Department, the S.F. Health Department, local merchants, and
the mental health community. The primary purpose of the program
is to shift the approach to prostitution-related offenses.
The FOPP program includes:
- Services to aid girls to permanently exit
the criminal justice system and to rebuild their lives free
of sexual exploitation, prostitution and abuse.
- Early intervention for women by providing
in-custody and out-of-custody assessments, referrals, peer
support, rehabilitation, vocational training, and case management
for women trying to exit prostitution.
- Arrests of male customers ("Johns")
and "John School," an educational program for
first offenders that takes a real-world, confrontation-style
look at the legal, health, and other risks and effects of
prostitution. Administrative fees collected from the Johns
fund the intervention services for women and girls.
FOPP clients have access to individual
case management, groups, legal advocacy, and referrals to
a variety of health, education, legal, housing, and trauma
and substance abuse recovery resources.
The program has served thousands of girls, young adults, women
and men since 1995. The return on investment for FOPP results
from lowered recidivism, decreased costs from lowered use
of the criminal justice system and health care, improved quality
of life in the areas affected by prostitution, and the entry
of former prostitutes into mainstream jobs and lifestyles.
Since the establishment of FOPP and its dramatic success,
dozens of other jurisdictions in the United States, Canada,
and Europe have replicated or are exploring replicating FOPP.
The program has received widespread media coverage and the
Innovations in Government Award.
For more information about SAGE programs and services, use
the links above, or contact us at SAGE.
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