An innovative program to eliminate the instances of street level prostitution is being implemented in Brooklyn. It is seeking to have to provide the Johns who patronize these prostitutes with the option of jail time or a rehabilitative program. The first reaction is to raise a smile and chuckle. But, it’s a good idea, and one that addresses a real problem not only in Brooklyn but also here on Long Island where this crime also has a tremendous impact on the quality of life and public health.

To understand what kind of an impact this crime has on the public, you have to understand the dynamics involved. Statistics show that the women involved in this activity are likely to be drug addicted. In fact, more than 80 percent of them are on drugs according to latest reports.

Statistics also show that the Johns, on the other hand, are most likely to be middle class men, well aware of their conduct and able to make conscious decisions about their actions and consequences. In our opinion, they are the more culpable of the two people involved in this crime.

A high percentage of these women are also carrying the AIDS virus, so the men who put themselves, their wives and their families, at such a risk need to pay the penalty by either going behind bars or getting some help.

Beyond all of that, this crime has a very negative impact on the communities in which it takes place. We have seen, over and over again, the problems caused by prostitutes who linger within certain business or residential areas, soliciting money for sex. Shopkeepers have to chase these women away from their storefronts and homeowners have complained about Johns that actually pull into their driveways, particularly during the night, to conduct their activities. In the morning, they have to step over condoms to get into their cars.

Bogus massage parlors usually bring women in from the city and offer sex for money. They are located near restaurants, libraries, delicatessens and in strip malls that decent people frequent. They bring in Johns from all over and detract from our suburban quality of life.

So, while the "school" for recidivist Johns being proposed by the Brooklyn District Attorney may bring a smile to your face, allowing this activity to proliferate without vigilance and a willingness on the part of our law enforcement officials and courts to to act assertively won’t. We applaud the concept and believe it should be studied and evaluated in terms of bringing it here on to Long Island.