NCJ Number
107810
Date Published
1987
Length
80 pages
Annotation
This manual provides step-by-step guidelines and examples to help elected officials, law enforcement personnel, and social service providers in local communities use the experience of successful programs established by cities and counties across the United States to deal with the problem of juvenile prostitution.
Abstract
The emphasis is on programs focusing on juveniles who have already become involved in prostitution. An overview notes that the United States has an estimated 300,000 juvenile prostitutes, both male and female. It also emphasizes that juvenile prostitution is technically a form of child sexual abuse and that up to two-thirds of juvenile prostitutes were sexually abused earlier in their lives, most often in their homes. The relationship between the increasing numbers of runaways and prostitution is also noted, as is the fact that juvenile prostitution is a relatively hidden phenomenon in smaller cities, suburban areas, or rural counties with no red light district. The manual details the steps involved in organizing to deal with the problem, setting up a task force, obtaining media coverage, conducting a study to determine the size of the problem, and interpreting the study's findings. It also describes existing programs, including police/social worker team programs, programs focusing on social services, and residential treatment programs. A final chapter discusses the problems that elected officials, agency representatives, and practitioners have encountered in setting up these programs and includes recommendations based on actual experiences. Figures, charts, and appended lists of 68 references, resource organizations, and programs for runaways and other youths.