The Rise Of Prostitution

The Great Depression brought about many changes in the early 20th century, starting around the stock market crash of 1929, brought on a time of uncertainty across the social- economic spectrum. Those who were heavily effected were the wealthy and business classes, then trickled down to the working class and those who were improvised. The United States, during the Progressive era, saw employment of not just men, but also women in urbanized regions and also some employment of different ethnicities. Following the crash, with a lot of employment being terminated, women and those not of Caucasian descent lost their jobs to men.

Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, explained how our treatment of criminals has created a new racial caste system, and the only way to make change is by massive social change and Civil Rights movement. The criminal laws often focus on psychoactive drugs used by the minority populations. Minorities are disproportionately targeted, arrested, and punished for drug offenses. For instance, Black, Latino, Native American, and many Asian were portrayed as violent, traffickers of drugs and a danger to society. Surveillance was focused on communities of color, also immigrants, the unemployed, the undereducated, and the homeless, who continue to be the main targets of law enforcement efforts to fight the war on drugs. Although African Americans comprise only 12.2 percent of the population and 13 percent of drug users, they make up 38 percent of those arrested for drug offenses and 59 percent of those convicted of drug offenses causing critics to call the war on drugs the “New Jim Crow”(drug policy). The drug

Claire E. Sterk, the author of the article of “Fieldwork on Prostitution in the Era of Aids”

Crack users range from the Wall Street stockbroker to a homeless person living in Central Park, but by and large this evil drug called crack had its biggest impact on New York’s inner city minority population. A New York doctor, Dr. Mark Gold who is the person who set up and helps run the not for profit organization called 800-COCAINE, a hotline set up to help addicts and perspective users answer questions about the drug and also offers counseling and drug intervention services; suggested that his findings showed that, “occasional users of crack quickly increased, the amount and frequency of crack use until total dependency was achieved.” Men and women who were once law abiding citizens and honest people were now robbing and stealing to pay for the drug, and many who once enjoyed good health were now suffering from a variety of physical and mental aliments springing from their cocaine abuse. Crack brings along with its amazing high, some ominous dangers. Dr. Robert Maslansky is the director of New York City’s Bellevue Hospital

During 1984 through 1994, 10 years into The Crack Epidemic, the homicide rate of African American males aged 14-17 doubled. Along with an increase of African American children in foster care, fetal death rates and weapon arrests. Roles lost in families and the community. Health and lifestyle of the African American communities depleting due to the powerful affects of crack cocaine. The African American community has been significantly affected by The Crack Epidemic in the areas of health and culture as a result of where the source of crack cocaine introduced itself in America, laws surrounding crack cocaine and the perception of the drug.

The “War on Drugs” established that the impact of incarceration would be used as a weapon to combat the illegal drug problem in this country. Unfortunately, this war against drugs has fallen disproportionately on black Americans. “Blacks constitute 62.6% of all drug offenders admitted to state prisons in 1996, whereas whites constituted 36.7%. The drug offender admissions rate for black men ranges from 60 to an astonishing 1,146 per 100,000 black men. In contrast, the white rate begins at 6 and rises no higher than 139 per 100,000 white men. Drug offenses accounted for nearly two out of five of all black admissions to state prisons (Human Rights Watch, 2000).” The disproportionate rates at which black drug offenders are sent to prison originate in racially disproportionate rates of arrest.

In the 1980’s and 90’s at a time when crime was in decline throughout the United States poor neighborhoods saw the beginning of what would soon become the great tragedy of mass incarceration. The topic of drugs had become a media sensation and political parties battled on which side could be the “toughest” to solve the pestering issue. Images of African Americans hooked on crack aired across televisions, newspapers and tabloids nationwide. Though crime rates were down, government used the media blast to gain funding of over two billion dollars to fund the DEA and local police forces in sweeps that would fill American prisons in numbers unprecedented in world history. Targeting poor and mostly African American neighborhoods, arrests made during this era conjure memories of Jim Crow racism and Convict Leasing leaving many of the convicts or even merely accused marred in an infinite loop of struggle inside and out of the prison system.

Are Americans receiving justice in the law system? Statistics indicate otherwise, a quarter of the population is locked up in the land of the free. The crack epidemic has been monumental in contributing to the mass incarceration rates, especially towards minority males. A crack cocaine offense bears a more severe offense penalty than powder cocaine, for example, if an individual has five grams of crack, they would do the same five years as someone caught with five hundred grams of powder cocaine. Non-violent drug offenses should be prosecuted but the minimum sentencing legislature ought to be eliminated.

Abel, Gillian, et al. Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers fight for decriminalisation. Policy Press, 2010. Part two: Implementation and impact of the Prostitution Reform Act (2003): the first five years: Review of the PRA

In the 1980s, the United States has witnessed a scar that swept many Americans off their feet. The scar consisted of the effect that crack had on Americans in the 1980s. Many Americans believe that drugs are the main thing that is causing many social problems in society. For instance, in 2004, New York Senator Charles Schumer stated, “Twenty years ago, crack was headed east across the United States like a Mack truck out of control, and it slammed New York hard because we just didn't see the warning signs” (n.p). Therefore, crack was a serious problem during the 1980s and it was also destroying society. Due to the negative impact of crack, America began to create homeless addicts, crack babies, an increase in gang violence, and an increase

There are many sociological theories that can be used to explain prostitution in modern society. Two such theories are functionalism and symbolic interaction. Many people feel that prostitution may be an immoral act however, from a functionalist perspective there are social needs that are being filled through prostitution. Both social actors are gaining through the engagement of prostitution. Another sociological perspective; symbolic interactionism; focuses on the interaction that occurs between social actors. The labeling theory of symbolic interaction states that a prostitute is deviant only because he/she is labeled as such.

The rise of cities led to a lot of development in American society. Many people moved to the cities because there were more financial opportunities. Communities based on ethnicity sprouted all through the city and are still present all over the country today. Companies began building upward instead of outward to avoid paying large amounts for big plots of land and paying more property tax. Public transit was another new concept that came to be with trolleys and subways. Cities also saw the development of new power sources going from steam engines to water power to electricity. Different forms of leisure activities were established with the rise of cities such as the movies, amusement parks, and the Vaudeville theater where music and magic shows

However, not all social and individual practices have the same role and play equally in reflecting social values to the society. Prostitution is one the practices which are not accepted to be practiced in a society. According to the Colorado State Law, Prostitution is defined as engaging in a sexual act in exchange for money or other forms of payment such as goods and services.1 The act of prostitution or participating in a sex market becomes illegal act based on social and religious values of the American

Prostitution is often called “the world’s oldest trade”, with references to the profession found as far back as the writings of the Old Testament. It is practiced throughout the world and viewed in various ways from a social and legal standpoint. Many nations and territories classify prostitution as either a legal activity or have decriminalized prostitution. Legalization of prostitution often classifies the purchasing of sex as a crime, but not the selling of sex. This method focuses on punishing customers, rather than the prostitutes themselves. Decriminalization does not view any area of prostitution as illegal. It is viewed as an acceptable act between two (or more) consenting adults without the necessity for government intervention. Some nations that have a more liberal policy towards prostitution include New Zealand, the Netherlands, Australia, and Germany (Crooks & Baur, 2014). Whether prostitution is legal or illegal in an area, sex will be sold and revenue will be made. In a 1998 report, The International Labour Organization (ILO) classified prostitution as a legitimate form of work and called for worldwide recognition of the same (Post & Datta, 2013).In areas immersed in extreme poverty, prostitution provides a means of support for families who may otherwise have no opportunity. The ILO report attempts to add prostitution to the list of informal labor- such as domestic work and farm work- that is acceptable to provide more opportunities for an overpopulated and

Regardless of the viewpoint that prostitution is immoral, sexual rights are inherent to all people and they have the right to choose to be sexually active in consensual relationships or not. Admittedly, some clients buy the right to mistreat prostitutes and strip respect for human beings from a person in order to fulfill their desire to be a dominant figure (Doll). Many people use this belief as evidence that prostitutes are degraded and their profession should be illegal. However, Kelly J. Bell, graduate of Simmons College in the area of Psychology, argues, “Men do not own a prostitute when they are paying her for sex any more than a business man owns his factory workers” (Bell 1). Just like any other job, prostitutes are individuals who