Victimless Crimes Not To Be Decriminalized

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Victimless crimes, the illegal act(s) that involves consenting adults and lacks a complaining participant, have been the topic of heated debate for some time now (Kendall, 2014). This debate centers primarily on the question as to whether these acts should be crimes at all. The arguments take several forms. One of the controversies involves the importance of personal freedom versus society’s idea to uphold moral standards. A second issue addresses the problem of the conception of harm. People who stand on this side on this side of the argument raise questions as to whether victimless crimes are harmful not only to the participants but to others in society as well. More importantly, they ask whether such acts result in negative consequences that might not be seen immediately. Finally, there is an issue as to whether attempts to control victimless crimes are, as a whole, more helpful or detrimental to the criminal justice system and society in terms of cost effectiveness.
In terms of my viewpoint, I stand with the people who believe that victimless crimes should not be decriminalized as I constantly question whether these crimes are truly victimless. As much as I believe that legalizing offenses like illicit drug use, euthanasia, prostitution, and gambling would help society in terms of cost effectiveness, I still believe such acts can cause more harm than what people make them out to be, thus not making them entirely victimless.
PROSTIUTION
Prostitution is one of the oldest jobs in the world and perhaps considered the ultimate victimless crime (Ruskin, 2012). As a profession that is estimated to bring in over 14 billion dollars a year in the United States alone with nearly 1 million prostitutes performing the acts, there ...

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...ce. Retrieved from http://www.justthinktwice.com/factsfiction/fiction_drug_use_is_a_victimless_crime.html Gorbenko, M. & Lakomy, A. (2011, November 12). Prostitution: the world’s oldest and most dangerous profession.
Kendall, D.E (2014). Deviance and Crime. Sociology in our times: the essentials (9th ed., pp. ).
Cengage Learning.
Meier, R.F. & Geis, G. (1997). Victimless crime? Prostitution, Drugs, Homosexuality,
Abortion. Los Angeles: Roxbury Press.
Rosenberg, M. J., & Weiner, J. M. (1988). Prostitutes and AIDS: a health department priority? Retrieved from AM J Public Health website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC1349367/ Ruskin, K. (2012, April 16). Prostitution – Secret Service Scandal – Mental Health View.
Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www.drkarenruskin.com/prostitution-secret-
service-scandal-mental-health-view/

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