NCJ Number
92537
Journal
Journal of Law and Society Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1983) Pages: 271-279
Date Published
1983
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The British Criminal Law Revision Committee's tentative proposals for laws to control prostitution do little to address the roots of prostitution as a social problem; decriminalization combined with efforts toward establishing women's social equality promises to be a more effective approach.
Abstract
The Criminal Law Revision Committee advocates that the law should continue to discourage prostitution but not penalize prostitutes for simply practicing their trade. It is also proposed that the law should continue to minimize the public nuisance caused by the practice of prostitution and control those who exploit prostitutes (persons who live off the earnings of prostitutes and those who arrange contracts for prostitutes). While these proposals are directed at discouraging overt public manifestations of prostitution by sanctioning some of the solicitation methods, they do little to prevent or counter the exploitation of prostitutes. Laws drafted to deal with the public nuisance aspects of prostitution are superfluous in the context of other laws designed to deal with public nuisances. Overall, the criminal law in this area is not appropriate nor effective as a means of controlling prostitution. Twenty-eight references are provided.