Men convicted of soliciting sex in San Diego can complete a three-hour diversion class and erase prostitution from future background checks.
After completing the class, their convictions are reduced to disturbing the peace. The program is attended by men convicted of soliciting sex.
San Diego resident Jessie Sergent describes how prostitution harms CIty Heights, surrounding neighborhoods and the families who live there. She was a volunteer panelist during the city's recent Prostitution Impact Panel. An offender sits in a room by himself before a Prostitution Impact Panel gets under way in San Diego.
She warned men about the dangers involved with prostitution. Most of the evening's panelists were volunteers. The program urges men convicted of soliciting sex to not reoffend. San Diego Deputy City Attorney Lara Easton passes out certificates to 28 men who completed an educational class about the impacts of prostitution.
Each man had been convicted of soliciting sex. The certificates must be shown to the court in order for the men's convictions to be reduced. Offenders watch a video narrated by a prostitute about dangers in the underground industry. At a conference room entrance, informational brochures and photographs warn men about the risks of receiving sexually transmitted diseases from prostitutes.
