Pro-Prostitution (The Advantages of Prostitution)

In 2009, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit of the United States Department of Justice reported charging 114 people with human trafficking offenses. Out of the 114 people, there were only 43 human trafficking prosecutions. Of those 43, only 22 were for sex trafficking. In 2008, more than 50 people were charged when Phoenix, Arizona police took down a prostitution organization (Arizona Republic). Obviously, the rate of prostitution and the rate of prostitution do not correlate with each other. There are more prostitutes operating in the United States versus the number of people being brought to the United States by way of human trafficking, strictly for the purposes of working in the sex industry.

Prostitution is said to be “the world’s oldest profession” (Ramchandran par. 1). The Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines prostitution as “the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money” (“Prostitution” par. 1). Many people argue that prostitution should be legalized, but it hurts people more than it helps. Legalization of prostitution condones sexual behavior for profit. Not to mention, the increased risk of illness or infection via sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), or death. It also does not “enhance women’s choices” (Raymond par. 45). This means that whether

Violence against women is an issue of concern in the United States. The truth is that prostitution can never be stopped and participants – especially

Currently most everywhere in the United States, our legal system penalizes prostitutes and their customers for what they do as consenting adults. Money is still spent on law enforcement efforts to catch prostitutes and their customers. Once caught, justice departments have to process these people through very expensive systems.

According to Catherine La Croix, Executive Director and Founder of “Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics” (COYOTE) chapter in Seattle, millions of dollars are spent every year to arrest prostitutes. “Every prostitution arrest, not including jail or court expenses, costs between $2,000 to $2500 and requires at least two or three officers” ("Should Police Resources Be Used Against Prostitution?"). Prostitution, in and of itself, is a victimless crime. These kind of expenses are unacceptable when it comes to arresting two adults consenting to having sex, just because money is

In his essay, You Can’t Get Rid of It So You Might As Well Tax It: The Economic Impact of Nevada's Legalized Prostitution, David Goldman, an American economist and author of How Civilizations Die (and why Islam is dying too) discusses the impact legalizing prostitution would have on the United States if every state adopted a model similar to the Nevada model on prostitution. Goldman cites Barbara G. Brents, Crystal A. Jackson, and Kathryn Hausbeck’s book, The State of Sex: Tourism, Sex and Sin in the New American Heartland (Contemporary Sociological Perspectives) to argue that the because the industry is now worth upwards to $20 billion, the government needs to take action to decriminalize prostitution because he does not believe the practice shows no signs of slowing down.Taxation would allow the United States government to regulate the industry and by taxing the practice and the workers, the government earns money off of a profession that has been around since the dawn of man and shows no signs of ending anytime

Prostitution, also known as commercial sex or solicitation, is the business of preforming sexual activities in exchange for monetary compensation. Prostitution can be seen in many different outlets, from brothels and streetwalkers, to top of the line escort or call-girl services. Prostitution laws make it a crime to suggest, consent, or participate in a sexual act for the benefit of receiving payment (FindLaw, 2016). Prostitution is one of the first known female occupations and appears as early 2400 B.C.

The question is easier to answer than some might think. Some types of prostitution actually are legal in some parts of the US. One can legally visit a brothel in the state of Nevada, where prostitutes are housed, and sold to the men willing to pay the price. In Nevada, the prices are higher than the street market, but that is probably just because the conditions are better right? Wrong, very wrong. Julie Bindel wrote an article about the truth of Nevada brothels, and how prostitutes are actually treated there. She tells harrowing stories of women who are mistreated for acting out of compliance, starved for being considered overweight (2007). Clinical psychologist and renowned Anti-Prostitution activist Melissa Farley concurs, “Once the people of Nevada learn of [prostitutes'] suffering and emotional distress, and their lack of human rights, they, like me, will be persuaded that legal prostitution is an institution that just can't be fixed up or made a little better. It has to be abolished” (2007). There a hundreds of prostitutes being mistreated on daily basis in Nevada. If prostitution was illegal in Nevada, the perpetrators of such heinous crimes would be able to be punished for their inhumanity rather than rewarded with

Criminalizing prostitution did not reduce the act, in fact statistics showed that prostitutes are constant reoffenders. According to attorney Carrasquillo, “arrests and fines do not effectively act as deterrents; prostitutes are soon selling sex in order to pay off their fines. Prostitution is costly, both to citizens and prostitutes” (708). Furthermore, Carrasquillo goes on to state that, “the NYPD makes an

Prostitution is currently an illegal act that has existed for centuries in the United States of America. Throughout the history of prostitution, this act has been endlessly evolving; however, the basic terms of prostitution in which a person engages in sexual activity with another being for a payment has remained constant. It seems apparent that a stigma is attached to the prostitution industry involving participants from both sides. In fact, people possessing negative judgments toward prostitution are highly accepted and this is where the majority of people stand on this issue. Unfortunately, many people don’t understand the entirety of the prostitution industry, as this business in one of the most complex occupations in the world. According to the FBI, prostitution is the third largest criminal enterprise and is solely the fastest-growing business of organized crime in the country (Hill & Walker-Rodriguez, 2011, p. 1). With this being said, a change within the framework of prostitution must be met to combat the dangers presented. Presently, prostitution is illegal in the confines of the United States of America, with the exception of eight counties within the state of Nevada. The current solution to this countrywide problem is placing a ban on prostitution. However, it has been made apparent that outlawing prostitution has nearly no effect on diminishing the presence of this illegal activity. In fact, a grant of $44 million was administered to sixteen cities

Consequently, by trying to enforce prostitution laws, police officers spend an exhausting number of hours trying to gather information. In an unpublished interview, Dr. Williams, an associated professor at North Carolina State University, stated that policing prostitution in the United States is an overreach. Enforcing prostitution laws puts undue strain on law enforcement agencies. Dr. Williams strongly contends, that government resources could be better used on education and or rehabilitation if necessary. Dr. Williams, firmly believes in the power of education, its empowerment and benefit to all who seek it. (Williams, personal communication, 2017).

According to Seidenberg, “the selling and/or buying sex has been alternately illegal, regulated and forbidden, such as; the U.S federal law against prostitution was the Page Act of 1975” (Seidenberg). As well, prostitutes are ever seen for the ability to give good times by providing sexual services for money or gifts. To recap, prostitutes used to be women selling their bodies for money, but today there are men prostitutes selling their bodies too for many reasons. Not only money, but also drugs are a common currency for prostitutes. In addition, this service industry brings bad consequences to society in the United States, such as, economic, health and social issues.

It’s futile to attempt to eliminate the supply and demand of prostitution simply through criminal justice methods. Unfortunately, that isn’t obvious to everyone, but the San Francisco Task Force on Prostitution researched this issue thoroughly and determined that “enforcement may increase, (but) there is no evidence that it does any more than force street workers to move from one place to the next.” Furthermore, a report on street prostitution by Michael S. Scott for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the U.S. Department of Justice concluded, “Enforcement strategies are expensive; each arrest costs thousands of dollars to process. By themselves, they are ineffective at either controlling street prostitution or protecting prostitutes from

With more than 80,000 arrests per year for soliciting sex, over two thousand deaths, and an estimated $14 billion spent a year on prostitution; it is time we address the issue and seek out a plan for the industry and question the stance America has on the profession and ask if our society is ready for the leap of acceptance to prostitutes, pimps, and johns, by legalizing prostitution or the steps taken to put an end to the industry.

Tracey P. Sonntag, "Case for Legalization of Prostitution", states that the average annual income of an employee at one Nevada brothel working only one week per month is at least $100,000. According to the facts upon the Nevada tax revenue each licensed sex worker would contribute more than $20,000 in federal income taxes per year. Former state Sen. Bob Coffin, proposed a $5 per transaction tax for legal acts of prostitution. If 1,000 women received four clients and charged $500 a date it would generate $7.3 billion in annual economic activity, which would benefit the community tremendously.