Street Prostitution, 2nd Edition

• NCJ Number: 216620
• Author(s): Michael S. Scott; Kelly Dedel
• Date Published: November 2006
• Length: 90 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1999CK-EX-K004; 2005-CK-WX-K001
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Problem-Specific Guides Series Guide No. 2; downloaded December 18, 2007.

Annotation

This guide, part of the Problem-Specific Guides Series, focuses on police responses to the problem of street prostitution.

Abstract

Designed for police officers of any rank and assignment, the Problem-Specific Guides summarize knowledge about how police can analyze and reduce particular crime problems in local communities. This guide begins with a description of the problem of street prostitution, focusing on female prostitutes and male customers, and the factors that allow street prostitution to flourish, such as street drug markets and cheap motels. The harms caused by street prostitution are enumerated and include moral and nuisance concerns, public health concerns, economic concerns, civil rights concerns, and personal safety concerns. The guide next presents guidance for analyzing the local street prostitution problem, presenting a series of questions designed to elicit an in-depth examination of local factors impacting street prostitution. Questions focus on the forms that street prostitution takes in the area, customer demographics, the local setting in which they operate, the local dynamics between pimps and prostitutes, drug links, and current responses to the problem. Advice is offered on how to measure local law enforcement effectiveness at controlling and reducing street prostitution using such measures as citizen calls to police, reduced visibility of street prostitution, reduced traffic congestion in prostitution areas, and reduced prostitute and customer recidivism. The next section presents a series of response strategies for street prostitution that can provide a foundation of ideas for addressing local street prostitution problems. Strategies include ideas for deterring prostitutions and customers, targeting prostitutes, targeting customers, and changing the environment. Responses that have shown limited effectiveness at reducing street prostitution are also described and include conducting street sweeps, harassing and intimidating prostitutes, suspending public aid to prostitutes, establishing formal red-light districts, and decriminalizing prostitution. Appendixes, endnotes, references, recommended readings