Legalizing Prostitution (1 Viewer)

[Drunken Cowboy]

There is no rational reason for it to be illegal, but you can say the same thing about dope and poker.

 

[Drunken Cowboy]

I think all victimless crimes should be legal.

Drunk driving?

Endangering the public is not a victimless crime.

Until you actually harm someone, there is no victim. Drunk driving may increase your chance of having a victim, but the act of driving while drunk does not create a victim in itself.

I would not call drunk driving a victimless crime. If you kill three people for every 10,000 miles you drive while drunk, but kill only one person for every 10,000 miles you drive sober, you are harming people in a statistical sense every time you drive drunk, even if you don't kill anybody on a particular given lucky trip.Laws against drunk driving help prevent harm to people.If laws against prostitution do not help prevent harm to people, that's what makes prostitution a victimless crime.

Not only do the laws not prevent harm to people. They cause harm to people.

 

[whoknew]

There is no rational reason for it to be illegal, but you can say the same thing about dope and poker.

Exactly.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

I don't think you're going to see much dissent here.

Woz hasn't voted yet.

He'll just require that all whore houses have barf bags available.

 

[Das Boot]

If not for prostitution being illegal, the feds never would have been able to send Al Capone up the river.

It's a law that works, people.

 

[safariplanet]

Did I yell too loudly?

 

[The Goat]

I consider myself a fairly moderate conservative with fundamental Christian beliefs.

Prostitution should absolutely be legalized.

 

[Chase Stuart]

I think all victimless crimes should be legal.

Drunk driving?

Endangering the public is not a victimless crime.

Until you actually harm someone, there is no victim. Drunk driving may increase your chance of having a victim, but the act of driving while drunk does not create a victim in itself.

I would not call drunk driving a victimless crime. If you kill three people for every 10,000 miles you drive while drunk, but kill only one person for every 10,000 miles you drive sober, you are harming people in a statistical sense every time you drive drunk, even if you don't kill anybody on a particular given lucky trip.Laws against drunk driving help prevent harm to people.If laws against prostitution do not help prevent harm to people, that's what makes prostitution a victimless crime.

You are also harming people in a statistical sense every time you drive sober. While not a crime, driving isn't victimless (and, of course, we decide what is and isn't a crime).

 

[safariplanet]

This got me reading about prostitution in Nevada. Since it's illegal in Vegas, the unregulated escort business thrives. I say legalize it.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

I think all victimless crimes should be legal.

Drunk driving?

Endangering the public is not a victimless crime.

Until you actually harm someone, there is no victim. Drunk driving may increase your chance of having a victim, but the act of driving while drunk does not create a victim in itself.

I would not call drunk driving a victimless crime. If you kill three people for every 10,000 miles you drive while drunk, but kill only one person for every 10,000 miles you drive sober, you are harming people in a statistical sense every time you drive drunk, even if you don't kill anybody on a particular given lucky trip.Laws against drunk driving help prevent harm to people.If laws against prostitution do not help prevent harm to people, that's what makes prostitution a victimless crime.

You are also harming people in a statistical sense every time you drive sober. While not a crime, driving isn't victimless (and, of course, we decide what is and isn't a crime).

So you can call driving sober a victimful non-crime. And if driving sober were made illegal, you could call it a victimful crime.Prostitution, though, is a victimless crime. (Sex itself may have victims, but voluntarily paying for it doesn't create any new ones.)

 

[safariplanet]

This thread is full of idiotic logic©.

 

[Christo]

of course it should be legal.

in times like this, the USA reminds me of jesusguys.

Actually, the feminist movement on the left is just as strongly opposed to this as religious conservatives on the right.

That sounds like BS to me. Most feminists I know are strongly in favor of legalizing prositution.

Feminists fall into two camps on this. Some are "sex-positive." Then there are the Adrea Dworkins and Catherine MacKinnons of the world. My sense is that more feminists fall into the former camp than the latter, at least today, but there's definitely a segment of feminism that would be extremely hostile to prostitution.

Yes girls, all sex is rape.

Did you know Catherine MacKinnon never actually said this? I didn't -- I always heard it attributed to her. But she never said it.

Not those exact words. But if you've read enough of their (MacKinnon & Dworkin) drivel it is a fair characterization of their ideology. One quote that Dworkin has admitted making is that penetrative sex is violent. And MacKinnon has said that she thinks rape occurs whenever a woman has sex and feels violated.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

True. Even the legal ones in Nevada are sometimes not all that but that hasn't stopped them from getting paid up til now. And yes the drug thing is an issue. One of the benefits of legalization would be to get cleaned up. I guess I look at Amsterdam and those girls don't seem to be drug addicted. It is a job. Not a great one for your daughter, but still it is a job. I just see that becoming more the pattern with a general legalization policy.

Question I don't have an answer to: In places where brothels are legal, like Amsterdam and Nevada, do arrests still occur for street prostitution or is it that legal as well?

I don't think it is in the 2 counties in Nevada but I am not sure. Not sure about Amsterdam either.

Street prostitution would still be illegal. The only place that it is "legal" is in a certified brothel. However whether they actually choose to enforce it is another story.

Pretty sure they do in Nevada. Don't know about Amsterdam but based on what I have read I think they do as well. Haven't really found a definitive answer online yet though.

It has been 25 years or so since I was in a Economic of Victimless Crimes class, but I remember that as a general rule that in areas where gambling or prostitution was legal private enterprises there was generally stricter enforcement of illegal activities. This is because the legally operated business exerted political preasure to crack down on the competition. I'd assume that this would be true today.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Absolutely. Perform a service, collect a fee, pay some taxes. Stop wasting governments time on policing this crap. So long as the transaction stops occuring on th estreets and the solicitation does not occur near schools I'm good. I would hope, out of general respect, the solicitation also would not occur near houses of worship, but I leave that to decorum rather than to the law.

I think if it ever came to be you could expect some fairly tough zoning ordinances.

Isn't that what this is? Except a whole city is zoned?

Why not do the opposite and just zone in a single district where it's legal?

New Orleans used to have Storyville, a district just above the French Quarter where prostitution was legal. It was actually considered a reform at the time. Puritans and libertines loved it. This is where Jazz was born by the way, everything flourished there.

It was ultimately shut down in 1917 buy the federal government because it was deemed a health threat to Navy personnel disembarking on their way to fight WW1.

 

[Christo]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

If prostitution was legal that wouldn't be how it manifested itself anymore.

 

[fantasycurse42]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

I live in NYC, everything you mentioned is in my neighborhood already, I'd assume it's in yours too though.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

I live in NYC, everything you mentioned is in my neighborhood already, I'd assume it's in yours too though.

Funny it was NYC I was thinking of, I don't think it's that great personally. It's not far from my neighborhood but not in my neighborhood.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

If prostitution was legal that wouldn't be how it manifested itself anymore.

Well they say that about drugs too.

But why not, why wouldn't prostitutes have cribs and do their thing on the corner wherever they like and why would they no longer need "managers" to handle the situation when they are basically muscle for protection and fee collection?

 

[[icon]]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

If prostitution was legal that wouldn't be how it manifested itself anymore.

Well they say that about drugs too.

But why not, why wouldn't prostitutes have cribs and do their thing on the corner wherever they like and why would they no longer need "managers" to handle the situation when they are basically muscle for protection and fee collection?

If it was legal it would take place in licensed brothels... That would be the impact. Not a flood of hookers on every corner in the neighborhood... Because that would still be illegal. Even if it was outright legal...Take a trip to Colorado... Is there a drug dealer standing at the end of everyone's driveway selling weed now? Of course not.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

If prostitution was legal that wouldn't be how it manifested itself anymore.

Well they say that about drugs too.

But why not, why wouldn't prostitutes have cribs and do their thing on the corner wherever they like and why would they no longer need "managers" to handle the situation when they are basically muscle for protection and fee collection?

If it was legal it would take place in licensed brothels... That would be the impact. Not a flood of hookers on every corner in the neighborhood... Because that would still be illegal.

Take a trip to Colorado... Is there a drug dealer standing at the end of everyone's driveway selling weed now? Of course not.

Wait, what? So we're talking only partial legalization then? I did not realize that.

ETA - I see the point below, I get it now.

 

[comfortably numb]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

Just an fyi.... I can drink beer in the street here.

But I see your point.

I had not thought of that. I was basically thinking, if it was legal then it was legal, and if a girl walked up to you and offered her services on the street that would be ok.

I agree what you say is more reasonable.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

Of course it should be legal. Right now it is illegal yet one can easily find a hooker in any city so what exactly has making it illegal accomplished? And yes, the same can get said about drugs and they should be legal as well.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Of course it should be legal. Right now it is illegal yet one can easily find a hooker in any city so what exactly has making it illegal accomplished? And yes, the same can get said about drugs and they should be legal as well.

They should let the hookers take care of both. One stop shopping.

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

Just an fyi.... I can drink beer in the street here.

But I see your point.

I had not thought of that. I was basically thinking, if it was legal then it was legal, and if a girl walked up to you and offered her services on the street that would be ok.

I agree what you say is more reasonable.

The pimps and drugs are largely a consequence of it being illegal, particularly in low income areas.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

Just an fyi.... I can drink beer in the street here.

But I see your point.

I had not thought of that. I was basically thinking, if it was legal then it was legal, and if a girl walked up to you and offered her services on the street that would be ok.

I agree what you say is more reasonable.

The pimps and drugs are largely a consequence of it being illegal, particularly in low income areas.

So are these low income people now going to go to brothels for their services?

Why would a pimp decide to start paying rent?

Why would brothels who charge good rates hire skanks off the streets? I'm not sure this is the panacea people think.

 

[Christo]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

Just an fyi.... I can drink beer in the street here.

But I see your point.

I had not thought of that. I was basically thinking, if it was legal then it was legal, and if a girl walked up to you and offered her services on the street that would be ok.

I agree what you say is more reasonable.

The pimps and drugs are largely a consequence of it being illegal, particularly in low income areas.

So are these low income people now going to go to brothels for their services?

Why would a pimp decide to start paying rent?

Why would brothels who charge good rates hire skanks off the streets? I'm not sure this is the panacea people think.

I'm quite sure you're wrong.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

I had not thought of that. I was basically thinking, if it was legal then it was legal, and if a girl walked up to you and offered her services on the street that would be ok.

It might be, but the point is that they wouldn't need to do that. It would be much easier for women to set up shops (like in Amsterdam) and they would be able to rely on the law to help protect them. Right now, they can't do that, so the shady characters that you discuss have filled that vacuum. Surely there would be some period of transition, but everything that you conceive of as the "norm" for prostitution was shaped by the environment in this country. Just like with drugs, as others have mentioned.

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

Just an fyi.... I can drink beer in the street here.

But I see your point.

I had not thought of that. I was basically thinking, if it was legal then it was legal, and if a girl walked up to you and offered her services on the street that would be ok.

I agree what you say is more reasonable.

The pimps and drugs are largely a consequence of it being illegal, particularly in low income areas.

So are these low income people now going to go to brothels for their services?

Why would a pimp decide to start paying rent?

Why would brothels who charge good rates hire skanks off the streets? I'm not sure this is the panacea people think.

The function of a pimp is largely to provide protection for the sex worker because they don't have any good legal options to safeguard their well-being and ability to collect for their services. If prostitution is legal and regulated that need is dramatically minimized. I'm sure there would continue to be a black market for people trying avoid regulation for one reason or another, but generally speaking both consumers and providers would operate in a much safer environment if it wasn't illegal. Provided of course the barriers to entry (so to speak) aren't set so high that it discourages people at the lower socio-economic levels from participating legally.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

Just an fyi.... I can drink beer in the street here.

But I see your point.

I had not thought of that. I was basically thinking, if it was legal then it was legal, and if a girl walked up to you and offered her services on the street that would be ok.

I agree what you say is more reasonable.

The pimps and drugs are largely a consequence of it being illegal, particularly in low income areas.

Why would a pimp decide to start paying rent?

Because if it were legal and a john could go to a normal, controlled environment, don't you think that he would much prefer that? And as those who offer services in the way become more profitable, others would have to follow suit.

Do you think that johns really like the way it is now? Roaming around in shady areas (or however it works, not totally sure). Do you think that if someone offered a reasonable, safe space for this to occur, that people would not prefer that?

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Why would a pimp decide to start paying rent?

To avoid being evicted.

 

[Jack White]

Did this get bumped because of the Greg Anthony arrest?

#FreeGregAnthony

 

[chauncey]

Did this get bumped because of the Greg Anthony arrest?

#FreeGregAnthony

I was starting to wonder if this was Obama's latest get out the vote proposal like free college, fast internet, and maternity/paternity leave.

 

[dirtyjay]

All the pleasures of the world should be legal.

 

[ghostguy123]

I will read through this later, so maybe some of this was covered, but yes I think it should be legal.....with restrictions, not just a free for all everywhere.

Somewhat similar to the bunny ranch, though obviously nowhere near as high class I would imagine. Legalize it but regulate it. It woudl be much safer for the "pros" if they were able to conduct their business in a safe environment. Mandate STD tests (though this doesnt completely keep STDs out of the equation, it certaintly would help. Hell you could even make the patrons get STD tests prior to being allowed to partake).

Then there is the obvious tax increase for the state/gov. The business is taxed, and the pros pay taxes also.

Another benefit is getting the majority of the hookers and johns out of jail for this crap.

One negative I see is this. Who will the serial killers go after if you took the hookers off the streets?? That is actually a serious question, and could have a negative fallout.

 

[ghostguy123]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

If prostitution was legal that wouldn't be how it manifested itself anymore.

True.

For one, that kind of prostitution SHOULD be illegal, and if regulated, would be illegal

 

[ghostguy123]

DW's point about zoning is critical. Seems like most people in favor of legalizing prostitution do so with the disclaimer of controlling the environment (brothel) and health (routine medical exams) of the workers. In my mind, that is not a wholesale "yes" vote. A "yes" vote would mean paying for sex, regardless if your next door neighbor turns their house into a 24 hour McSex drive thru, is legal.

Administering the regulations and enforcing the laws of this new industry would be much easier said than done, as well. IMHO, just because prostitution were legalized in designated brothels, it doesn't mean that girls would stop turning tricks on street corners, either. So unless "street corner" activities are legalized, illegal prostitution would still occur and the desired impact of legalization would be limited.

Of course, but so what? It would clearly happen far less than it does now.

You would have to regulate it using establishements to ensure the safety of the workers, otherwise, nothing would change regarding the safety for the girls, and none of them would report anything for taxes.

I would venture to say the vast majority of the girls would be happy to pay taxes on the money they earn if they get to perform the act in a safe environment, maybe even a bed???....rather than a street corner or backseat in a rather dangerous situation.

 

[ghostguy123]

Think about the types of people who are prostitutes today. Many started out as young runaways who got hooked on drugs and ended up in the profession. For the most part, kids do not runaway to become drug addicted hookers, so it was never their goal to become a prostitute for a living. Some may end up in brothels, but IMO it is naive to think that legalizing prostitution in brothels will eliminate what got people "in the business" in the first place. Sure it may be a place for some of them to end up, but in a free market environment, the ones making the good livings will be the ones who are decent looking. Contrary to what is seen in the movies, most prostitutes are not that attractive.

And most guys don't have a ton of money to pay for the hotties.

If you can't see how this would work out for everyone involved, I just don't know what else to tell ya I guess.

 

[ghostguy123]

You are acting like all these girls have their stuff together. Most have pretty hardcore drug problems and go to the street as a way of getting some last minute cash. You can't even say that this is a full time job for a lot of these girls. So of course they would still be working the streets.

Posts like this are from the people who "just don't get it".

 

[ghostguy123]

So are these low income people now going to go to brothels for their services?

Why would a pimp decide to start paying rent?

Why would brothels who charge good rates hire skanks off the streets? I'm not sure this is the panacea people think.

I'm quite sure you're wrong.

Some people can't see past their nose.

 

[ghostguy123]

All victimless crimes should be legal??? Sure why not. Had to figure the FBG would turn this into an all or nothing, as usual.

So drunk driving is fine if nobody gets hurt and going outside and shooting guns in the air in the middle of the city is fine as long as the bullets don't hit anyone then, too, right??

Also, say I am a guy looking to score a hooker. I am going to go into an alley risking my safety with more risk for STDs this way, and also risk being arrested................when I can just go get it for free in a cleaner and safer environment for maybe a few bucks more?? Hell chances are it will be on a bus route if you don't have a car in the city.

The positivie implications of this are MIND BOTTLINGLY ( ) easy to see.

 

[glumpy]

This has a poll and seems to be what people are really discussing:

Should prostitution be legal?

I'll just say, part of this question is how would you react if you had prostitutes in your neighborhood, on your street corner, with pimps, the drugs that come with it, etc. Would you not wish the cops would come and stop it?

It wouldn't have to be set up like this.

You can still make it illegal to publicly solicit. Just as its illegal to drink a beer out in the street.

I wouldn't care if my neighborhood had a house/storefront for this but I'm sure others wouldn't like it as my town looks down on a smoke shop, massage parlor and tattoo place

Just an fyi.... I can drink beer in the street here.

But I see your point.

I had not thought of that. I was basically thinking, if it was legal then it was legal, and if a girl walked up to you and offered her services on the street that would be ok.

I agree what you say is more reasonable.

I have been around enough to have met innumerable professionals and seen a few different setups and this one worked well. Wasn't permanent--we were doing jobs out of town and in one city found where they would periodically rent a place and work out of that front for the weekend on call. Didn't ask for particulars--just spent some QT with the girls drinking while they ran their business! No pimps--it was a group effort.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

we need to follow the canada model here