There’s a saying that “everything’s better in Texas.” I’ve never been, so I don’t know about everything, but I do know that the Dallas Police Department has a new way of dealing with prostitution that every other law enforcement agency in the country should take a look at.
Rather than nabbing prostitutes and throwing them in jail (while their customers go free), the police in Dallas treat prostitutes as the victims of sex crimes, recognizing that sex work is either about survival or supporting an addiction, and offering them a chance to get counseling and rehab.
Once a month, the police run the Prostitution Diversion Initiative near a group of truck stops in an area that is called the national epicenter of syphilis. It’s estimated that more than 1,300 women work as prostitutes in the immediate vicinity. More than half have children and almost all of them abuse drugs. If these women are arrested by police, they’re taken to a mobile command center where they are interviewed by officers. They also speak with social service workers and are offered STD testing and medical care. After that, they’re taken to a mobile courtroom where a judge gives them the option of going to jail or entering rehab. If they choose rehab, after 45 days of inpatient counseling, they get assistance for childcare, housing, and education.
The program has only had moderate success so far – of nearly 400 women who have been offered the option of rehab, only half have chosen to get clean. 21 have been able to stay clean and turn their lives around. But the Dallas police also see the long term benefits. They say the women are beginning to trust them and have given them several leads on unsolved murders. The women also tip them off when pimps are running underage prostitutes.
Dallas’s model doesn’t seem completely perfect – their innovative program is only used once a month, and direct evidence of success is minimal – but they’re doing a lot more than most police departments. In the Washington metropolitan area, prostitutes are arrested, fined hundreds of dollars, possibly jailed, and often go right back to what they were doing. There are a number of programs and organizations in our area that can help women deal with the issues that led them to sex work, so why don’t we connect the dots? Law enforcement could be a better bridge between those who need help, and those who can provide help.
A handful of other cities have expressed interest in the Dallas model, and I think we should encourage agencies around the country to consider changing their tactics, too. It seems like everyone benefits: officers develop relationships with people who know what’s happening on the street, STD testing and education benefit the public as a whole, and the women have an opportunity to change their lives.
Do you think the Dallas model sounds doable? Are there any similar programs you’ve heard of or worked with in the D.C. metro area?
To read more about the Dallas Police Department’s Prostitution Diversion Initiative and watch a video about it click here.