NCJ Number
78366
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 54 Issue: 3 Dated: (July-September 1981) Pages: 239-249
Date Published
1981
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This research paper presents a systematic analysis of the role of prostitution in Las Vegas, noting how prostitution in this and other urban settings can be viewed as consistent with the community's economic characteristics and therefore as acceptable behavior.
Abstract
Prostitutes, bellmen, representatives of casino/hotel management, taxi drivers, and police officers in the city were interviewed, and information was compared and cross-checked. Tourism and recreation form the core economy of the city, which must provide services to customers that meet their needs while remaining consistent with the larger societal demands. The hotel prostitution network, which supplies prostitutes to customers through hotel employees, has taken on the characteristics of an 'organized economy' in that the network has been given indirect authority by the police to control and stabilize the illicit market in prostitutes. Since it is in the industry's interest to have prostitutes available but not brazenly flaunting their wares, the hotel network is protected by its own enforcement patterns and by larger community and economic standards which legitimize prostitution in the resort setting. The police work to exclude network competitors and are therefore a necessary component of economic survival of the illicit enterprise. The network is an effective extension of law enforcement in that it both controls prostitution and enables police to direct their efforts elsewhere, while at the same time making a significant contribution to the economy. Over 30 references and 4 notes are included.