Kansas City, MO
Categories:
Tactics Used |
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Reverse stings | ✓ |
Shaming | ✓ |
Auto seizure | ✓ |
Community service | ✓ |
Public education | ✓ |
Neighborhood action | ✓ |
SOAP orders | ✓ |
John school | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Web stings | ✓ |
License suspension | ✓ |
Kansas City is one of the first cities in the United States to have a “john school” education program for men arrested for soliciting prostituton, and currently has two that operate in the city. The first was launched in 1992 by the Kansas City Municipal Court and an addiction/counseling center, Community Addictions Programs. The most prominent current john school program – Offender’s Accountability Re-Education program (OAR) – was launched in 2000 by a non-profit, survivor-led organization, Veronica’s Voice. A second program is currently operated by Kansas City Corrective Training, a for-profit corporation. Kansas City was also among the cities to make first use of local television in efforts designed specifically to combat demand, by airing the names and photographs of men arrested in reverse stings (1997). Veronica’s Voice also makes public presentations about the need to combat demand, which they call the End Demand Campaign.
(For our purposes on this website, we cover Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO together, since many of of the programs and practices overlap or operate collaboratively across the city lines. A similar situation exists in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.)
Veronica’s Voice Offenders Accountability Re-Education, or “Johnz School,” is an intensive, one-day, educational class. The approach brings about intervention for the demand side of prostitution. Attendees are court ordered. This is the only program that is fee-based at Veronica’s Voice. The fees for this program, which are paid by the “customer/john,” go directly to Veronica’s Voice (VV) and are used for all services and programs VV provides to the commercially sexually exploited women in our community.
John School
As an alternative to a conviction, first-time offenders arrested for patronizing prostitution (not involving a minor) are referred to the Johnz School as a condition of probation, diversion, or in lieu of prosecution. The fees collected from the Johnz School go back into Veronica’s Voice services and programming for victims.Regularly scheduled the 3rd Saturday of each month; cost is $850, payable by only cash or money order; certificate of completion granted at the end of the class if the fee is paid in full.
Public Education
In July, 2018, the Kansas Attorney General announced a new awareness campaign in Kansas is aimed at cutting the demand for prostitution as a way to fight human trafficking. The campaign involves state agencies and local advocacy groups teaming up to push the “Demand an End” initiative, which features education and announcements warning people that buyers of sex face charges. The campaign intends to promote a culture where buying sex is not acceptable. It is based on the assumption that the money from sex buyers fuels a marketplace that enables sex trafficking.
Key Partners
- Kansas City Police Department
- Wyandott County Sheriff’s Office
- Johnson County Sheriff’s Office
- Veronica’s Voice
- Kansas City Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation (KC CASE)
- Kansas City Corrective Training, Inc.
Key Sources
- National Assessment Survey, Interviews and Site Visit
- John School:
- Reverse Stings:
- “Girls”, Junction City Daily Union, July 2 1980.
- “210 Arrested in Prostitution Sweep”, Junction City Daily Union, July 25 1995.
- “Night on the Town Ends in Handcuffs”, Kansas City Star, March 29 1992.
- “Attacking Open Sale of Sex; New Tactics Sought to Remove Prostitutes from Streets of KC”, Kansas City Star, April 6 1992.
- “John TV’s Success Appears to Be Ebbing”, Kansas City Star, September 8 2001.
- “An Audacious Waiting Line”, Kansas City Star, June 15 2004.
- Brewer, D.D., Roberts, J.M., Muth, S.Q, & Potterat, J.J. (2007). Prevalence of Male Clients of Prostitute Women in the United States. Final Report to the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice: Research Grant #2003-IJ-CX-1036.
- “4 Charged in KC-Area Child Sex Ring”, Topeka Capital-Journal, March 10 2009.
- “KC Authorities’ Efforts to Rescue Children from Prostitution Gain National Attention”, Kansas City Star, August 2 2009.
- Web Stings:
- Shaming:
- “Law Officers Assess Plan to Air Names in Prostitution Cases”, Kansas City Star, November 28 1996.
- “TV Images May Be Key in Slayings; Prostitutes’ Killer Could Turn Up Among Pictures of ‘Johns'”, Kansas City Star, May 12 1997.
- “Names, Faces of Men Accused of Soliciting Prostitutes Airs on TV”, Fort Scott Tribune, May 16 1997.
- “Cable TV Gives Johns, Prostitutes Their Own Show, of Sorts”, Davidson Dispatch, July 21 1997.
- “John TV: Coming to a Corner Near You”, Lewiston Morning Tribune, July 21 1997.
- “Gotcha! Johns, Prostitutes Get Own TV Show”, Kentucky New Era, July 22 1997.
- “Charlotte Ponders Putting Prostitutes’ Johns’ on TV”, Charlotte Observer, November 12 1997.
- Neighborhood Action:
- Letters:
- Public Education:
- Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- Background on Prostitution in the Area:
State | Missouri |
Type | City |
Population | 450375 |
Location |
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