The Epidemic of Criminalization of Prostitutes
Prostitution started centuries ago and it is still being done by many people today. However, it has not been accepted by society as a “real job.” Centuries ago prostitutes were branded as the devil’s children and they are still seen as outsiders in society. In fact, prostitutes are labeled today as criminals. Why are prostitutes considered as a criminal If their actions only affect mostly themselves? A person should be able do decide what they want to do with their body without any consequence attached such as incarceration. Criminalization of sex workers are dangerous because their human rights are not being protected by law enforcement, furthermore criminalizing of the buyers is also dangerous.
…show more content…
Another example is in Rhode Island where it is legal to do indoor prostitution in 2003- 2009 and the rape rate reduces significantly. The difference between legalization and decriminalization is that decriminalization is to get rid of all punishment for prostitution and the advertisement of prostitution, while legalizing is wherein the states doesn’t prosecute prostitution per se but takes a heavy-handed approach to its regulation (Brown, 2). I’m strongly with decriminalization overall because having a criminal record could affect your future as in getting a job. When men who buy sex and females who sell sex become criminals in the eyes of society they will always be a criminal because it will be on their …show more content…
Proposers for criminalization argues that decriminalizing prostitution protects the pimps, but not only that it will also protect women sex workers. Decriminalization will protect sex workers from exploitation, trafficking and violence from these pimps. Laws will be passed against all these brutal acts against women sex workers which will deter men clients and pimps from doing any devious act against prostitutes. In the article “Buying Sex Should Not Be Legal” by Rachel Moran stated that, in the US prostitution is worth at least $14 billion a year. Moran said, “Most of that money doesn’t goes to these girls,” but if is was legal the law enforcement and the government would also protect workers from being underpaid and
Kelly’s article has raised valid points regarding safety to the prostitute within a brothel, but there is so much evidence that proves the ill effects of this experiment in other countries that the evidence cannot be ignored. Although, parts of the sex trade industry may initially see positive results for some of the workers, the majority would end up worse off than before. Due to the illegal nature of this industry and the control exuded by the pimp, the physical and psychological risk to the prostitute, the highly addictive nature of sex, and the organized crime behind the scenes orchestrating and controlling ever aspect of the industry, it is clear that decriminalizing prostitution would result in significant negative affects on society, prostitutes and those with sexual addictions.
For instance, while every industry that operates in the US has labor rights associated with it, prostitutes have no guarantees in their work. No one has to provide a prostitute with “rights like a minimum wage, freedom from discrimination, and a safe work environment” (Fuchs). With regulations in place after decriminalizing the profession, prostitutes can be better protected against STIs. This could be accomplished by requiring “sex workers to use condoms and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases” (Fuchs). They will have a greatly decreased chance of contracting disease if they turn down clearly infected clients, and make all clients, whether clean or not, wear condoms. If they were working outside of the law they would feel less incline to do this and would then be at great risk for contracting disease. Illegal prostitutes actually have motives for not using condoms since in cities like New York, “cops were actually using condoms found on women as evidence in criminal prostitution cases against them” (Fuchs). This practice provides the perfect stage for STIs to go wild and spread like fire, with HIV being in the forefront and becoming an even larger epidemic then it is. Giving them labor rights will give them the ability to unionize and fight for their rights together, transferring the power in the business to the workers instead of their bosses, like pimps and brothel owners. With regulations eliminating the pimps, one source of violence is removed from the business. Customers are the other major source of violence and, with legalization, prostitutes would be able to rely on law enforcement to protect them instead of detaining them. Studies have found that among prostitutes “82% had been assaulted and 68% had been raped while working” (Fuchs) and “they were 18 times more likely to be murdered than non-prostitutes their age and race” (Fuchs). This could be
In the article 'Legalized Prostitution' the author, Mark Liberator, shares his views on legalizing prostitution. He believes because of women's specialized roles in society, they should be allowed to use sex as a service that can be bartered for goods and money, and by using these specialized roles, the author explains that allowing prostitution in the United States could lower a majority of murder and rape cases, and can decrease the amount of suicides and divorces. By making prostitution legal, Liberator also thinks that it will allow law enforcement to respond faster to more important crimes, help women that use prostitution as a career path, and will prevent teens from being trapped into prostitution. Though Liberator states his case strongly, and has statistics that help prove his point, his logic has holes that could even make cocaine, heroin, and other illegal drugs legal. Liberator states that our primal desires should not be ignored or suppressed, but instead should be managed. If this is the case, then should our first instincts to lie, cheat, steal, and kill should also be managed? No. Managing these things, and not suppressing them, means that we are making it legal to rob stores, lie about it, and kill anyone who disagrees with our reasons as to why we?ve committed the crime. Not only that, but if we make prostitution legal, it is possible that there could be an overflow of prostitutes, that would create larger drug chains, which could ruin our countries credibility as a safe place to live. I feel that legalizing prostitution is the first small step to that future, and that we should avoid making prostitution tolerable in America.
Should we decriminalize prostitution? Decriminalize means the removal of criminal penalties or the restrictions against something. In the article “How we should handle prostitution” by Simon Hedlin, Birgitta Ohlsson states that we should decriminalize prostitution. Decriminalizing prostitution means to remove the criminal penalties and the restrictions against prostitution. The thesis of the article is to decriminalize prostitution. Critics think by decriminalizing prostitution there would be an increase in human trafficking. In order to not decriminalize prostitution, the author says to decriminalize the selling of sex, but not the buying of sex. David Grosso is Washington Councilman. He wants to enter a legislation that decriminalize prostitution in the nation 's capital. Grosso says that America needs new laws for prostitution. The new laws that have to be made for prostitution have to “respect the fact that sex workers are human beings too." Critics think that by decriminalizing prostitution is going to get worse and increase human trafficking.
The publisher, The Economist, implies that keeping prostitution illegal is merely a hindrance to business, and that corralling it into licensed brothels or entirely outlawing it does nothing for the “workers”. Despite the fact that the paper does acknowledge that some prostitutes are victims, they feel as though it overall is a voluntary action, simply because they can be found walking the streets alone. “That fiction” of forced labor, they claim, is being uprooted by media in recent years. In Source F, Newsweek writer Leah Goodman points out the omission of the other paper’s information on why women or men choose prostitution in the first place-- if it’s even a choice for them to begin with. The paper also discusses that it would limit brothels and pimping, “making it easier for third parties”. There were no statistics provided to support this claim. Goodman also ensures that she challenges The Economist’s claims, asking who truly would benefit from this sort of legalization. The answer? The 87 percent male readers of The Economist, of course, with an average household net worth of 1.688 million, and an average age of 47. While those statistics on the readers don’t specifically translate to anything more than that they would be capable of affording this type of “luxury item”
Prostitution is one of the most debated of the victimless crimes, because the US has been "slow" in adopting it legally. Only ten Nevadian counties out of the entirety of the 50 United States have passed laws that legalize prostitution, while in Holland prostitution is a recognized occupation. Holland even has a union for prostitutes. It is argued by proponents of legalized prostitution that the business is ...
As prostitution is criminalized, this profession is driven underground which undermines the safety of prostitutes. Legalizing prostitution would provide sex workers with regulatory protection and allow this form of work to be recognized as legitimate. As the author of “Think Again: Prostitution” states, “evidence shows, that criminalization of sale or purchase (or both) makes sex workers-many of whom come from marginalized social groups like women, minorities, and the poor-more vulnerable to violence and discrimination committed by law enforcement. Also, criminalization can dissuade sex workers from seeking help from authorities if they are raped, trafficked, or otherwise abused.” Therefore, sex workers are subjected to unfair treatment that could be prevented if this work was legalized and safe conditions were enforced. The author of "Counterpoint: Prostitution Should Be Legalized” states, “prostitution is legalized and regulated in a variety of developed nations throughout ...
Prostitution has been as issue in many societies around the world for almost all of recorded history. There has been evidence of brothels and prostitution dating far back into human history. Many different societies have different views, ideals, and reservation about the matter. Some cultures around the world view it as a necessary evil for people who need to support themselves and their families. Others view it as morally evil and socially destructive; helping to rot our society from the inside out. Even still there are cultures who don’t view it as evil at all and even a normal part of life. A person’s view on the act is formed largely based on the culture they are living in. Even sub cultures inside of larger one can have different view on the matter, such as religious groups that denounce it, to some groups in the same culture that say it is okay. Even the gauge of how industrialized a country can determine how that culture views prostitution, with many third world countries being more lenient on the matter, and many first world countries being much more strict on the matter, such as the some of the countries in Europe and also the United States.
The term criminal desistance refers to when offenders desist, or stop, committing crime. Desistance from crime exists when an individual has an absence of criminal behavior in their lives for a sustained period of time. By studying desistance, a better understanding of what causes individuals to commit crime is created; as well as, a better understanding as to why certain individuals discontinue their lives of crime. The criminal justice field often encompasses, serving justice by locking people up and keeping the “bad guys” away from the general public. Little thought was given as to what can be done in order to help prevent people from committing crime, until more recent years. Most criminological theories attempt to explain why people commit
By criminalizing prostitution will force the workers to make the job an underground operation. Which in turn will make it harder for these “working women and men” to receive appropriate aid, leaving them in the shadows of uncertainty and potentially abuse.
For decades Americans have used the War on Drugs to paint illicit drugs and their users as contraband and criminals respectively. While they are correct in illuminating the harrowing physical effects of drugs, they have forgotten the damaging effect the War on Drugs itself has had on society. Because of all the ills criminalization of drugs has caused, I would personally agree to support “Hamsterdam” by supporting the decriminalization of drugs. I believe that society needs to stop painting drug users as criminals, but rather as victims. Most people don’t use drugs to defy the law, but rather because it is the only way they can escape the realities of their life.
Prostitution is the occupational service where sexual acts are exchanged for payment. Opinions of prostitution have changed drastically over the course of half a century, and are being debated worldwide. Prostitution is a very controversial topic, however there are claims that legalizing prostitution could create an overall safer environment, not only for the sex workers but the rest of society. There has been many alterations in prostitution laws and enforcement practices in several countries. Many nations have created new laws or intensified existing penalties for prostitution-related offences such as soliciting sex, purchasing sex, or pimping. Some other societies are experimenting with policies that securitize prostitution.The claims proposing these regulations are important because they are directly opposed to both the conventional benefits of prostitution and the specific allegations of anti-prostitution crusaders. In Canada and the UK, the exchange of sex for money is not illegal. However, the activities that go along with prostitution are criminal offences.“In March 2012, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a ban on establishments for the purposes of prostitution, which effectively makes street prostitution illegal. In the US, most jurisdictions, prostitution, solicitation, or agreeing to engage in an act of prostitution are classified as illegal. With the exception of licensed brothels in certain areas in Nevada. In the Netherlands,prostitution was legalized in the mid-1800s but it wasn’t until recently, the 1980s sex work became a legal profession. Restrictions on brothels and pimping were lifted in October 2000 and the industry is now securitized by labour law. Prostitutes are registered as legal workers....
First, Prostitution shouldn’t be criminalized because it is a victimless crime. In no way is there a victim in what prostitutes do, of course you could argue that the spreading of diseases could be a victim. But the fact that it could happen during regular intercourse should completely nullify that argument in favor of legalizing. Criminalizing prostitution is a way for slowing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases; it is not a way to confront the problem of STD’s. We saw this quite clearly in the time of alcohol prohibition in this country. “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. –Unknown
Prostitution is one of the root causes of human trafficking, especially sex traffic. Human trafficking is the illegal movement of people (such as: kidnapping), typically for the purposes of forced labor, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Human trafficking is one of the most barbaric crimes in society, because it is importantly violated to human rights. Human could not become a product to sell. In order to supply the labor for the prostitution industry, human trafficking becomes worse when it focus on women, and children. It transfers to sex trafficking. Many women are victims of human trafficking work in brothels, a part of them work as Streetwalker. Some countries give the idea that prostitution should be legalized to reduce the rate of human trafficking and sex trafficking, but they are wrong. Because, if we pass the law for prostitution, human trafficking and sex trafficking will increase in order to supply prostitutes for prostitution industry. Legalizing prostitution is a gift to pimps, traffickers because they will rely on a legal framework to bring
According to ProCon.org, prostitution was a profession that dated back to 2400 B.C. Though many things since then have changed, the practice of selling sex has been more or less the same. What has changed is the way that people now view the practice. Throughout the years the debate has been whether prostitution should become legal or illegal. Organizations like Amnesty International want to push forward the idea of legalizing consensual “sex work” between two adults who are willingly participating because it would help keep those in that line of work safer than they are now. While on the other side of the issue there are