especially in my Criminal Justice classes. Should Prostitution be legalized?
This topic always seems to come up in my classes somehow..I've done research on it before and i'm just curious to see how everyone on here feels...

Here's a link to a website that i like that adresses this issue if anyone is interested.
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=25

um, well, morally...HELL NO...but some girls are going to do it anyways..so I would say(against, my own personal opinion), yes. It COULD be legal so the government could at least regulate it and protect more people from STD's. Plus when would the government turn down another form of tax money???? LOL
That's just my .02
:P

Yes, I think it should be legalized. I've only been on SOS since December and I've seen essentially this thread at least twice. :lol

Yes, it should be legal.

I say no.

ehhh why not. Maybe if it was legal and governized disease and criminal activity would go down.

i personally say yes. This is obviously something that's not going to go away just because we say no you can't do that and is potentially dangerous to so many people. so i think that is should be legalized. That way it can be regulated and at least somewhat safer,with regards to disease and violence, for the workers and buyers. Of course there will always be people not going along with regulations but i think that if it is regulated most prostitutes will go along with it.

on a lighter side if the government taxes it, they kinda own it, does this make them pimps?;):suspect

i personally say yes. This is obviously something that's not going to go away just because we say no you can't do that and is potentially dangerous to so many people. so i think that is should be legalized. That way it can be regulated and at least somewhat safer,with regards to disease and violence, for the workers and buyers. Of course there will always be people not going along with regulations but i think that if it is regulated most prostitutes will go along with it.

on a lighter side if the government taxes it, they kinda own it, does this make them pimps?;):suspect

:rofl Our government is already a bunch of pimps... :giggle

And I agree. :P

I think it should be legalized.
I see nothing wrong with someone choosing to have sex for money.

I DO however have a problem with pimps. I think if prostitution is legalized and therefor regulated... pimping would be reduced... and any crimes connected to pimps.

i personally say yes. This is obviously something that's not going to go away just because we say no you can't do that and is potentially dangerous to so many people. so i think that is should be legalized. That way it can be regulated and at least somewhat safer,with regards to disease and violence, for the workers and buyers. Of course there will always be people not going along with regulations but i think that if it is regulated most prostitutes will go along with it.

on a lighter side if the government taxes it, they kinda own it, does this make them pimps?;):suspect


hahaha.. i suppose it would make them pimps.. but i would prefer them to the pimps on the streets.... ive heard horror stories...

I get scared to voice my opinion a lot. But, this is something I've typed out for you all to read before.
I think that legalizing prostitution would help in a lot of things. I think that it would LOWER rape crimes...because NO, not ALL rapists do it for power, but some do it to get laid, because they can't otherwise. If those guys could legally buy it, then, yes I believe it would help.
I also think it would be a lot better if there were just places...yes, i.e. whore houses, that men could go pay women for sex at, it would be safer and probably lower murder rates as well.
It's my opinion.

hahaha.. i suppose it would make them pimps.. but i would prefer them to the pimps on the streets.... ive heard horror stories...

ahh...good pimps...:grin::tu

Yes, it is a crime with no victim, where all parties involved consent.

I'm not sure how I feel. On one hand, prostitutes could get health care and screenings to ensure that diseases were not passed. There could be safe places for the prostitutes to work so they were not at risk of violent acts against them in some back alley.

However I don't want our government to be involved in the sale of women. IMO that is wrong. If it were to be legal it would have to be a private business and not run by the government itself. But I suppose the business would still pay taxes and thus the government would still profit on the sale of women.

I guess I would have to weigh the health and safety of the women (or men) who are prostitutes against our government benefitting from such sales. I think that health and safety take precedence, but I am not all that comfortable with the idea.

I say yes to to legalizing prostitution. First, it could be legalized and controlled. Thus, eliminating the spread of disease and the mistreatment of women. Women who are abused by their clients would have a legal recourse to get justice. Also, this is a revenue source for the government which could be use to stop illegal prostitution and other sexual based crimes (child porn, etc.)

As far as ethics, which is more moral a women selling her self to feed her child, or a woman that does not sell herself, but watches her children suffer.

Like Rizzo said, I don't want the government involved in the sale of women or men, however, after watching a show yesterday on "sex slaves" that are brought here from other countries and forced to work in brothels and cantinas I certainly think it would cut down on that aspect.

I get scared to voice my opinion a lot. But, this is something I've typed out for you all to read before.
I think that legalizing prostitution would help in a lot of things. I think that it would LOWER rape crimes...because NO, not ALL rapists do it for power, but some do it to get laid, because they can't otherwise. If those guys could legally buy it, then, yes I believe it would help.
I also think it would be a lot better if there were just places...yes, i.e. whore houses, that men could go pay women for sex at, it would be safer and probably lower murder rates as well.
It's my opinion.

I actually disagree. The majority of rapists do it for power. Paying some hooker to lay them will NOT fulfill the same need that rape fills for them. At least IMO.

But against what I morally believe I think yes. This is a recent change of mind for me btw. I used to be totally and utterly opposed. But now I guess it's going to happen anyway so why not make it legal and look out for the girls.

I'm not sure how I feel. On one hand, prostitutes could get health care and screenings to ensure that diseases were not passed. There could be safe places for the prostitutes to work so they were not at risk of violent acts against them in some back alley.

However I don't want our government to be involved in the sale of women. IMO that is wrong. If it were to be legal it would have to be a private business and not run by the government itself. But I suppose the business would still pay taxes and thus the government would still profit on the sale of women.

I guess I would have to weigh the health and safety of the women (or men) who are prostitutes against our government benefitting from such sales. I think that health and safety take precedence, but I am not all that comfortable with the idea.

The government is involved in strip clubs which are the same thing. The sale of a women.

I'm on the fence. I think it should be legal because it would be safer if people could come to a "business" so to speak for it, then picking up girls on the side of the street. However, I know prostitution is linked to a lot of other crimes, such as drug use... so I wonder if having it legalized would reduce or increase the drug problem? I honestly don't know... if someone has some sort of educated thought on that I'd be interested to hear it.

I'm all for the legalization of prostitution, because it's not going to stop and these women could have a safe place to go (i'm thinking Bunny Ranch) complete with STD testing and bouncers. I was watching a show the other day on HBO called "Cracked but not broken" and the woman on there was on drugs...and a local hospital gave her needles every week! At first I was horrified because I felt that they were contributing to her addiction, but then I thought about it, and she's going to do drugs until she decides to change...the hospital is giving addicts needles to cut down on the spread of HIV.

The government is involved in strip clubs which are the same thing. The sale of a women.

Not really, a strip club is not the actual "sale" of a woman. They are selling a fantasy not selling the actual sexual parts of the woman for sick satisfaction.

What an interesting debate, and I'm pretty sure I've never lept into this one before. My "outside the box" meter is going haywire on the huge amounts of adverse side effects a legalized prostitution initiative would have.

Mainly, one of the largest groups to be affected by this would be, presumably, the pornography industry. People would be less likely to pay for month by month subscriptions when they can walk down the street and have the real for the same price. I imagine we'd see a huge reworking of the porn industry to accomodate this drop in revenue. More than likely, the industry would focus on the exterme or perversions, which are things most likely to be outlawed in a legalized prostitution society. I would expect an increase in beastiality, sodomy and other extreme perversions to flood the internet.

Medical health would likely increase overall. This would infuse the economy with not only tax dollars, but jobs as well. Police, medical personnel, administrative personnel, shop keepers and store owners would all need to be hired by the government. Hell, T-shirts, bumper stickers, TV/Magazine ads... The sheer amount of money making potential is impossible to fathom. Plus, the side jobs as escorts, dates and "shoulders to cry on" would also make a significant dollar.

The religious community would not even need to be debated - they'd be against it, and everything it brought, though it's only a moral debate. We all sell ourselves every single day - labor for money. Exerting muscle power or mind power into a hired task. Make no mistake, every one of us has sold our bodies to the "highest bidder", so to speak. Prostitution is just a little more... literal.

Crime against prostitutes would likely fall. While many would view this as a great thing, it makes people such as myself wonder where the psychos will go to satiate the voices. Not that I condone the murdering of prostitutes, mind you. The government would need to begin programs that protected vagrants, homeless and squatters. These are the next likely targets of random crime.

Rape would probably remain the same. Rape is generally about power and control, not the act of sex itself. Males still have a little bit of animal instinct in them that hasn't fully been formatted yet. Civilization just sprang up too quickly for some things to be erased from our psyche's. Control and dominance over women seems to be one of those things most guys just don't know how to get around. Sad but true. As long as men believe that they're still the hunters and women are the gatherers, there will always be animosity in regards to equality. Legalized Prostitution takes that away from men by giving women a job that men just aren't qualified for.

The kids. One of the things that concerns me is that my daughter will attend a Job Fair where prostitutes are recruiting. I'm not sure I could stand to see my daughter showing me her information packets from her job fair and seeing prostitution as a well paying, state sanctioned means of earning a paycheck. Call me a hypocrite.

Homosexual Prostitutes. Can't have one without the other. If you legalize prostitution, it's open for all. If it's open for all, there is no reason to keep homosexual marriage from being legalized. We seem to be stuck at this juncture today. This is probably one of the chief reasons prostitution has never been legalized before.

The selling of the body. Selling body parts is also quite illegal, and may come under close scrutiny by people looking to sell body parts to the medical profession. I don't think this particular bit would an issue, since women are selling an act, not a kidney, but you never know - lawyers are sneaky individuals.

Zoning. Some cities may have to rezone entire areas to accomodate this new source of income. It's not industrial, it's not residential, it's not technically commercial. You may even see portable sex shops - like the roach coach or meals on wheels until some zoning problems are resolved. With that comes the worry about pedalling prostitution across state lines and what fees may be invoked there. That's pretty deep, though.

I could go on, but quite frankly, it's dinner time and I'm hungry. I also gotta call Kristi and the kids :)

I think it should be legal for someone to sell their own body if they want to.

However, I don't agree with the Gov. EVER getting involved on ANY level to regulate the industry:no

There are just too many gray areas.........plus you'd still have "illegal" prostitutes who either a.) couldn't pass the std screening to be considered "safe", or b.) didn't want the Gov to have a hand in their pocket and still wanted to make their own rules.

Legalizing would solve some criminality issues as well as provide disease control, as in order to work, the prostitutes would have to have permits, health checks and such. Morally, I'm not sure if it would be any more right than while it is illegal. That's about all I feel about the subject.

I think it should be legal.

I have already said that I think it should be legal, as it is in NV with very good results. I try to measure everything against the rate of human suffering and although I think selling your body is wrong, I can't say I wouldn't do it if it were to feed my daughter or for something else worthwhile. Making it legal would just make it a much more safe and comfortable profession. The following article I basically agree with every point...

http://www.kuro5hin.org/?op=displaystory;sid=2002/12/22/185323/82


A. Anti-prostitution laws don't work, and thus should be abolished. Arrest figures range over 100,000, and over 1 million people in the US have worked as prostitutes, or about 0.5% of the US. Anti-prostitution laws don't work, and thus should be abolished. The frequency of prostitution is not affected by anti-prostitution laws: they mereley drive prostitution underground, creating a much more dangerous situation for prostitutes, their customers, and society.

B. Prostitution is not a women-only issue. 77.8% of arrests are women, 22.2% men. In larger cities, 20-30% of prostitutes are male. The feminist arguments against prostitution claiming that prostitution is "violence against women" need to be re-examined, considering that a considerable percentage of prostitutes are men. It is even inappropriate to call "prostitution violence against prostitutes," as it is not prostitution itself which is violent. It is the circumstances around prostitution -- all of them caused, perpetuated, and encouraged by the illegalization and stigmitization of prostitution -- which are violent.

C. The enforcement of anti-prostitution laws is inequitable, and discriminate against prostitutes. Prostitutes account for 90% of the arrests, their clients for only 10%. The enforcement of anti-prostitution laws is predjudiced against prostitutes, and in fact punishes and violates those that the supporters of anti-prostitution laws (some feminists and Conservatives) claim anti-prostitution laws protect. Were the law equitable, 50% of those arrested under anti-prostitution laws would be the clients. But cops aren't interested in pursuing the clients: clients often have money, and can defend themselves. Furthermore, it is easier to rape, assault, abuse, and otherwise violate the rights of a prostitute. This doesn't mean that all cops are rapists, but some are, and some take advantage of the precarious situation prostitutes are in.

D. The enforcement of anti-prostitution laws further victimize the most victimized prostitutes. 85-90% of those arrested are street prostitutues, who account for 20% of prostitutes. As the statistics show, street-prostitutes are most likely to be subject to violence, abuse, and drug-use. The enforcement of anti-prostitution laws further victimizes these most-victimized and violated of prostitutes.

E. The enforcement of anti-prostitution laws is racist. Despite accounting for the minority of prostitutes, non-caucasians account for the vast majority of prostitutes sentenced to jail. Anti-prostitution laws act as a vehicle for racism, as this statistic indicates.

F. Drug-abuse is variable, and most common among street-prostitutes. Drug abuse ranges from 0-84%, depending on the population, and is most common among street-prostitutes, 50% of whom are drug-users. As was stated, drug-use is variable depending on the population, just like among any other group. The highest incidences of drug-use are among street-prostitutes, probably because they are subject to the most frequent contact with nefarious drug-dealers, and because they are the most likely to work for a pimp who controls them by rationing drugs to them. This is perpetuated and encouraged by anti-prostitution laws. Anti-prostitution laws force more prostitutes roam the streets, searching for clientelle (as they can't advertise from a brothel), and also discourage prostitutes from working in a house as that is a fixed and easy target for police-raids. Legalizing prostitution would ameliorate this situation, resulting in lower incidences of drug abuse.

G. Prostitutes are not a major source of STD-spread. Only 3-5% of STDs are prostitution-related, compared to 30-35% which is teen-related. Despite the bunk propogated by zealous anti-prostitution advocates, prostitutes are not a major source of STD-spread, and (indeed) this suggests that they are not particularly vulnerable to STDs. This is probably because prostitutes are highly aware of safe-sex, as it is a necessity in their business, and always use condoms and other devices to make sex safer. If only the Christian Coalition nutcases would allow our teenagers to be educated just as well in contraceptives and safe sex.

H. Anti-prostitution laws and their enforcement tolerate, endorse, and perpetuate violence against and violation of prostitutes. Clients account for 60% of the abuse against street-prostitutes, police for 20%, and partners for 20%. One study found that 80% of prostitutes have been sexually assaulted, some raped as many as 8-10 times/yea or more. Only 7% seek help, and only 4% report it to the police. Prostitutes are unlikely to report violent crimes committed against them and also unlikely to seek help. Prostitutes know that they will be arrested for prostitution if they report crimes against them; know that neither the cops, prosecutors, judges, juries, nor even their own lawyers will believe them, thus don't report crimes against them. Our anti-prostitution laws -- which both perpetuate and are perpetuated by social stigma against prostitution -- are responsible for the acceptance of crimes committed against prostitutes and the devaluation of prostitutes as persons. Because clients, cops, and partners know this, they feel safe in stealing from, assaulting, sexaully assaulting, torturing, raping, and even killing prostitutes. Thanks to anti-prostitution laws, there is no crime safer in the US than a crime committed against a prostitute. As the legal system, cops, prosecutors, judges, jurrors, and society at large effectively regards prostitutes as non-persons -- less than slaves -- any crime against a prostitute is almost certainly ignored, tolerated, and even encouraged. This devaluation of prostitutes as non-persons -- analagous to the Proles in Orwell's 1984 -- is encouraged and promoted by anti-prostitution laws.

I. Anti-prostitution laws and their enforcement further violates those already violated. 35-85% of prositutes are survivors of childhood incidences of sexual assault/molesation by their relatives (forced incest) or others. As this statistic indicates, most prostitutes are the survivors of childhood incest, molestation, and/or sexual assault. Our legal system -- and anti-prostitution laws in particular -- re-victimize prostitutes by imprisoning them and encouraging violence against them. Our legal system, the politicians who support anti-prostitution laws, and society at large are just as responsible for the victimization and rights-violation of prostitutes as are their parents who raped them. This re-victimization can be alleviated by abolishing anti-prostitution laws, thus not imprisoning prostitutes, and not encouraging crimes against them.

J. House-prostitutes have good self-esteem. 97% of house-prostitutes like themselves more after than before becoming prostitutes. The statistics propogated by so-called feminists groups "concerned about prostitutes" indicating that all prostitutes have poor self-esteem are incorrect. Most house (as opposed to street) prostitutes have a better self-perception of themselves after becoming prostitutes. This again shows why we should legalize prostitution (and allow brothels), as it would encourage house-prostitution over street-prostitution.

K. Prostitutes are no more likely to entertain suicidal thoughts than other women. 59% of prostitutes have thought of committing suicide, compared to 61% of non-prostitutes. This suggests that prostitutes are no more suicidal than non-prostitutes, debunking the theories put forth by some feminists.

L. The enforcement of anti-prostitution laws necessarily violates prostitutes' rights. All arrests of prostitutes involve intrapment, invasion of privacy, and/or the use of discriminatory laws/tactics. Yet more violations of prostitutes' rights by the cops and our legal system. Because prostitutes are fearful of the police, and unlikely to get good legal advice, they will often plea guilty, not knowing that the evidence procured against them was inadmissable. Often, they will be pressured into such by cops, who will deny them their lawyers or deceptively suggest that contacting lawyers implies guilt, and using other strong-arm tactics to prevent prostitutes from getting adequate legal representation and knowing their rights.

M. Anti-prostitution laws are unduely expensive, and should thus be abolished: that money should be spent pursuing those who commit crimes against prostitutes. It costs $2,000/case to arrest, court, and incarcerate a prostitute. Cities spend from $1 million to $23 million dollars, for an average of $7.5 million dollars, on prostitution-control. Despite the expenses made trying to prevent prostitution, it hasn't been prevented, but only driven underground to places where prostitutes are in the greatest danger of having their rights violated by pimps, clients, and cops. Instead of spending an average of $7.5 million trying to prevent prostitution and arresting prostitutes, cities should spend that money preventing crimes/rights-violations against prostitutes, and pursuing/punishing those who commit crimes against prostitutes and/or violate their rights.