In Texas, an unconventional program took place at the Harris County Jail. This program helps women to recover from their past life as a prostitute after they serve their sentence in jail.
Why is there a need for such a program?
Due to the fact that in the United States of America there are only few places where prostitution is legalized, such as some rural counties in the state of Nevada, there are a lot of cases where prostitutes have to serve time in jail for illegal prostitution.
The main focus of this program is to help women re-enter their life without having to worry about their past as a sex-worker. They are also helped to avoid resorting to prostitution again after they walk out of jail. This may be a hard thing to do, mostly because prostitution can sometimes be seen as an addiction. Not necessarily to the act itself, but to the “easy” money it can bring you.
How it can help the women?
By joining this program, the inmates have the opportunity to help their life become better and to reduce their sentence by the duration of the program. Here, they are thought lessons in developing their self-esteem, reconnecting with men in a healthy matter, all of it for a minimum of 90 days.
Similar, to group therapy, the program consists in open discussion as well as other lessons. This can sometimes be a hard thing to do, to share your past and fears and how you got to be a prostitute in the first place. While many were victims of human trafficking, others had a history of sexual abuses, there are women who chose this line of work, but came to regret it eventually.
Due to the success of the program, many women facing charges with prostitution have been sentenced to complete it. In the opinion of many, this program is a great thing, especially for those who are seeking to leave behind their days as a prostitute, especially in the United States of America, where prostitution is illegal.
However, in European countries such as Austria, Germany and Netherlands, where prostitution is mostly legal there is no need for such program because here prostitutes can take pride in their line of work.