Prostitution and Law Enforcement

[My Alias]

Did anyone see this? In San Antonio, new regulations require strippers to wear their business license/permits while they dance. Here's the story link, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...ping%20Permits By the way Jackson, there's no category for strip clubs. How about one in the Special Interests section.

[PsyberZombie]

El Mojigato =

California State Code § 653.23 (B) defines "Solicitation" quite broadly , and even ends with a "if it looks bad , it is"
Clause =

A person is guilty of Solicitation if s/he =

(3) Repeatedly engages or attempts to engage in conversation with
pedestrians or motorists to solicit, arrange, or facilitate an act of
prostitution
(4) Repeatedly stops or attempts to stop pedestrians or motorists
to solicit, arrange, or facilitate an act of prostitution
(5) Circles an area in a motor vehicle and repeatedly beckons to,
contacts, or attempts to contact or stop pedestrians or other
motorists to solicit, arrange, or facilitate an act of prostitution

(c) The list of circumstances set forth in subdivision (b) is not
exclusive. The circumstances set forth in subdivision (b) should be
considered particularly salient if they occur in an area that is
known for prostitution activity. Any other relevant circumstances
may be considered. Moreover, no one circumstance or combination of
circumstances is in itself determinative. A violation of subdivision
(a) shall be determined based on an evaluation of the particular
circumstances of each case.

The Statute defines an Offense as a Misdemeanor ; meaning a maximum penalty of Imprisonment
not more than a year &/or a fine not greater than $ 2000


Your bigger concern , though , is Oakland's Municipal Statutes that apply =

9.56.010 Nuisance vehicles.

Any vehicle used to solicit an act of prostitution, or to acquire or attempt to acquire any controlled substance, is declared a nuisance, and the vehicle shall be enjoined and abated as provided in this chapter. Any person or his or her servant, agent, or employee who owns, leases, conducts, or maintains any vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "the property"), used for any of the purposes or acts set forth in this section is guilty of a nuisance.

"enjoined and abated" means "seized and your ownership forfeited"

And even worse , 9.56.070 (F) makes this a CIVIL Seizure , which means even if you are ultimately acquitted of the Solicitation charge , they get to keep your car ; and even if you cop a plea to a lesser charge [ disorderly conduct is a typical plea bargain ] , they can keep it

And before you Perry Masons out there suggest it = this Statute , and others like it in other states and municipalities , have been challenged all the up to the SCOTUS ; and they *are* Constitutional , if you can believe it !!

[El Mojado]

I am stuck in California for a while... I have been checking out the area I'm in via the WSG and other sites including search engines and I cannot for the life me find out what the sentences are (and fines) if you are caught by LE for soliciting. They have to sentence you, and I sure don't want to go through a long trial, so I just want to see what the minimum and maximum sentences are for solicitating a prostitute in California. I am near the SF Bay Area around Oakland for now.

Can anyone give me an idea? Plus I won't let them get my car... even if I had to park it 10 blocks away for an incall, I like getting a warm-up walk before diving into a chica

I sure miss Mexico and the kinder, cuter chicas...

[Hwwd22]

From The Observer (London) today.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_ne...356104,00.html

Any suggestions on how you can establish whether a girl has been traffiked?

[Rock Dog]

Hey PsyberZombie,

Some of the golfers may have showed up without any clubs, but they all came with their balls.

Rock

(sorry if that joke was terrible)

[PsyberZombie]

I've heard of a 'Bad Lay' on a Golf Course , but This is *Ridiculous* !!!

Three sentenced for golf course prostitution

Club officials, tourney organizer get 125 days of house arrest

The Associated Press

Updated: 1:58 p.m. ET Nov. 5, 2004 NORCO, Calif. - Two golf course managers and a tournament organizer were sentenced to house arrest for hosting two competitions featuring prostitutes and strippers stationed along the putting greens.

Superior Court Judge Christian Thierbach chided the three for their “immoral and illegal actions” at the so-called girlie tournaments in spring 2002.

More than a dozen prostitutes and strippers, including a 16-year-old girl, set up tents and advertised their services on boards, officials said. About 160 golfers paid $200 apiece to play, though some showed up without their clubs, officials said.

Sheriff’s deputies wearing camouflage raided the second tournament, detaining 90 golfers and 17 strippers and alleged prostitutes, along with golf course workers.

Event organizer Sandy Juarez, 39, was accused of providing the prostitutes. In a deal with prosecutors, she pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to corrupt public morals and testified against Hidden Valley Golf Club general manager Jason Wood, 38, and his former assistant, Darren James Bollinger, 30. The pair pleaded guilty in July to the same charge.

All three were sentenced to 125 days of house arrest.

Two golfers have been convicted of engaging in prostitution, and the mother of the 16-year-old prostitute is charged with child endangerment and prostitution.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6415869/

[PsyberZombie]

Here's a Good Resource =

A List of the Ages of Consent for all around the World

http://www.avert.org/aofconsent.htm

[Butterfly44]

Fresh from Midnight Yahoo News:
Today's ref: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041010/ap_on_hi_te/china_porn_rewards_2

China Offers Rewards for Reporting Porn

2 hours, 46 minutes ago

Technology - AP

BEIJING - China's police ministry on Sunday handed out rewards of up to $240 to people who reported pornographic Web sites in a campaign to stamp out online smut, the government said.

Some 445 people have been arrested and 1,125 Web sites shut down with the help of public tips since July, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Ministry of Public Security.

The ministry handed out rewards of $60 to $240, Xinhua said, but it didn't say how many people received them.

China encourages Internet use for education and business but bans sexually oriented content on its own Web sites and tries to block access to foreign sites deemed pornographic or subversive.

The online crackdown is part of a sweeping official morality campaign launched this year on orders from communist leaders.

Television stations, video game makers and other suppliers of popular culture have been ordered to reduce or eliminate violent or sexually oriented content.

[My Alias]

I was wondering if anybody's been following this story, http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Storie...414505,00.html, about a former call girl from Oakland, Calif., who put herself through Stanford Law School by turning high-dollar tricks. Even though she's not been arrested by the feds, they've seized cash from a safety deposit box and are trying to get about $61,000 from her in back taxes.

[Star Dreamer]

this is a follow-up to my previous post. the first half of the article below is somewhat meaningless since stars & stripes is published by the defense department, but the second half has some interesting info about changes to south korean law.

trying to eliminate the sex industry in south korea is like trying to eliminate breathing, but if their proposed crackdown has any effect, it makes you wonder how many more girls will find their way to work in u.s. amps.

*************

pacific stars and stripes
september 24, 2004

troops support, wonder about effectiveness of anti-prostitution rules

by joseph giordono and franklin fisher, stars and stripes

seoul - u.s. servicemembers in south korea largely support newly proposed rules to make pandering illegal under military law but also wonder about the effectiveness of military and government efforts to combat the sex trade and [CodeWord908] overseas.

tuesday in washington, top pentagon officials announced their intention to add a specific anti-prostitution charge to the uniform code of military justice, making a conviction punishable by one year confinement and a dishonorable discharge.

wednesday at u.s. bases in south korea, reaction was swift.

"it kind of surprises me that there wasn't something specific about that in the ucmj before but i think this shows the [military] is not just saying 'stop doing it,' they're putting out a punishment that will make a lot of people think twice," said sgt. michael wright, of the 18th medical command.

"this would show they're really serious."

sitting at an outdoor cafe around the corner from itaewon's infamous "hooker hill" -- a red-light district just a stone's throw from the u.s. military headquarters at yongsan garrison -- another group of soldiers agreed.

"absolutely it makes sense," said spc. tim roberts, of 1st brigade, 2nd infantry division. "i don't know how many guys will actually have to get busted before it starts working, but it's gotta help cut down the problem."

staff sgt. kristie knappenberger, of the 303rd intelligence squadron at osan air base, thinks such an addition to the ucmj might be a good thing, especially if it helps curb servicemember involvement with prostitutes, including occasional marriages to women who work in bars, known as so-called "juicy girls."

"i don't see any problem with it," knappenberger said of the prospective change. "i don't think it would be a bad idea. if anything, it would be good...i know there's always been a big deal about the girls downtown -'juicies.' so it would help here and stateside."

"a lot of junior people get here and they get involved with that and it affects them not only here but at home. once they return home, financially, with their family life, if they do decide to get married to one of the girls they met, it carries over."

senior airman tom guess of the 51st logistics readiness squadron also thought it might be beneficial. and he saw nothing wrong with having the proposed change apply in countries in which prostitution might be legal.

"i think it's fair," said guess. "cause i mean, if you get caught doing it in the civilian world, i don't see why it would be different. if you go to saudi arabia you can't really drink there. you can drink in the states but you can't drink in saudi arabia."

military officials also promised a crackdown on civilian contractors not subject to the ucmj.

"nobody's saying soldiers don't go to hookers, but lots of times, it's the civilian guys who are out there on 'hooker hill' all the time," said one soldier. "you've got to crack down on both groups."

some soldiers questioned whether either the new u.s. military or south korean efforts would have any real effect on the sex trade. sgt. nicole webster, for example, thinks the demand always will outpace legal efforts.

"if that's what someone is looking for, you're not going to be able to stop them with more threats. they already know they'll get punished for it under existing rules but that doesn't seem to make some people think twice," she said.

one suggestion she had was for the military to make public the punishments levied under the existing codes. u.s. forces korea commander gen. leon j. laporte told the house armed services committee tuesday that military efforts have "resulted in the prosecution of more than 400 servicemembers for related offenses, such as curfew violation and trespassing posted off-limits locations."

but as webster and other soldiers pointed out, those sanctions largely are doled out through nonjudicial punishment, details of which the military does not release. any deterrent effect of such punishments usually does not reach beyond a small number of the soldiers' friends, the soldiers said.

"and if prostitution already is illegal in south korea," webster asked, "why would the new rules be more effective at preventing people from frequenting prostitutes?"

the proposed military changes coincide with a new set of south korean laws meant to crack down on the sex industry, which technically is illegal but in practice is an open, rampant and lucrative business. south korean officials say a major purpose of their new campaign, in addition to the new laws, is to more strictly enforce existing laws.

according to the gender equality ministry, more than 330,000 women worked in some 80,000 sex industry establishments in 2002, the last year figures were available.

all told, the ministry said, the sex industry in south korea, including legal entertainment associated with brothels, accounts for some $20 billion each year.

beginning wednesday, tougher anti-prostitution laws took effect in south korea, including one requiring a mandatory three-year prison sentence for anyone convicted of engaging in [CodeWord908] for the sex trade. members of organized crime would get a minimum of five years.

another new law offers rewards of 20 million won (around $17,000) for information leading to the conviction of human traffickers. another provision lets the government confirep001e all proceeds and property earned through the illegal sex trade. an additional new wrinkle would differentiate legally between women involuntarily in the sex trade (who would be classified as victims) and those who are determined to voluntarily sell sex (who would be punished as criminals).

under a broader program, south korea's government has promised to shut down all of the country's estimated 70 red-light districts.

[Woodstock]

Spy's post on the proposed rule to make it a crime for military personnel to have contact with a prostitute marks an complete turn around of Vietnam era policy in which the Pentagon actually promoted prostitution in Thailand for its servicemen. This rule obviously reflects Bush's attempt to "Christianize America." After its all said and done, there probably won't be many servicemen left to fight his selfish wars.

I wish the DoD good luck in trying enforce such a code, especially when it "promotes", or at least turns a blind eye to, homosexuality within its ranks. Seems like they would want to encourage heterosexualism. Barring prostitution may actually encourage a rise in homosexualty. For the Bush Administration which is worse, getting a blow job or fucking a hooker, or getting the same from another man? Seems like both are evil and a threat to our beloved nation.

[Star Dreamer]

More harassment on the way for those in uniform as well as those civilians associated with the Defense Department.

Washington Post
September 22, 2004
Pg. 13

Anti-Prostitution Rule Drafted For U.S. Forces

By Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press

U.S. service members stationed overseas could face a court-martial for patronizing prostitutes under a new regulation drafted by the Pentagon.

The move is part of a Defense Department effort to reduce the possibility that service members will contribute to [CodeWord908] in areas near their overseas bases by seeking the services of women forced into prostitution.

In recent years, "women and girls are being forced into prostitution for a clientele consisting largely of military services members, government contractors and international peacekeepers" in such places as South Korea and the Balkans, Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) said yesterday at a Capitol Hill forum on Pentagon anti-trafficking efforts.

Defense officials have drafted an amendment to the manual on courts-martial that would make it an offense for service members to use the services of prostitutes, said Charles S. Abell, a Pentagon undersecretary for personnel and readiness.

If approved, the amendment would make it a military offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to have contact with a prostitute, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, an Abell spokeswoman, said later. The draft rule is
open to 60 days of public comment after being published in the Federal Register, she said.

Officials also are developing a training program for service members and contractors, to be distributed in November. The program will explain trafficking, department policy on it and possible legal action against violators, Abell said in a written statement.

Additionally, the military is reviewing regulations and procedures for placing off-limits those businesses where such activities take place and working with Justice Department officials to tighten rules on contractor misconduct.

Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, commander of the 37,000 U.S. service members in South Korea, said another initiative started on the peninsula has been to "make on-base military life a more desirable experience, and attempt to diminish the seductive appeal of many of the less wholesome off-duty pursuits."

That effort includes offering expanded evening and weekend education programs, band concerts, late-night sports leagues and more chaplain activities.

All new arrivals to duty in South Korea are instructed against prostitution and [CodeWord908], and the military is working with South Korean law enforcement agencies, he said.

NATO officials in July outlined new guidelines adopted to ensure alliance peacekeepers do not encourage sex trafficking gangs by seeking the services of women forced into prostitution.

[ChefDog]

sex is their business
sep 2nd 2004
from the economist print edition


attitudes to commercial sex are hardening. but tougher laws are wrong in both principle and practice

two adults enter a room, agree a price, and have sex. has either committed a crime? common sense suggests not: sex is not illegal in itself, and the fact that money has changed hands does not turn a private act into a social menace. if both parties consent, it is hard to see how either is a victim. but prostitution has rarely been treated as just another transaction, or even as a run-of-the-mill crime: the oldest profession is also the oldest pretext for outraged moralising and unrealistic lawmaking devised by man.
in recent years, governments have tended to bother with prostitution only when it threatened public order. most countries (including britain and america) have well-worn laws against touting on street corners, against the more brazen type of brothel and against pimping. this has never been ideal, partly because sellers of sex feel the force of law more strongly than do buyers, and partly because anti-soliciting statutes create perverse incentives. on some occasions, magistrates who have fined streetwalkers have been asked to wait a few days so that the necessary money can be earned.
so there is perennial discussion of reforming prostitution laws. during the 1990s, the talk was all of liberalisation. now the wind is blowing the other way. in 1999, sweden criminalised the buying of sex. france then cracked down on soliciting and outlawed commercial sex with vulnerable women—a category that includes pregnant women. britain began to enforce new laws against kerb-crawling earlier this year, and is now considering more restrictive legislation (see article). outside a few pragmatic enclaves, attitudes are hardening. whereas, ten years ago, the discussion was mostly about how to manage prostitution and make it less harmful, the aim now is to find ways to stamp it out.
the puritans have the whip hand not because they can prove that tough laws will make life better for women, but because they have convinced governments that prostitution is intolerable by its very nature. what has tipped the balance is the globalisation of the sex business.

the white slave trade
it is not surprising that many of the rich world's prostitutes are foreigners. immigrants have a particularly hard time finding jobs that pay well; local language skills are not prized in the sex trade; prostitutes often prefer to work outside their home town. but the free movement of labour is as controversial in the sex trade as in any other business. wherever they work, foreign prostitutes are accused of driving down prices, touting “extra” services and consorting with organised criminal pimps who are often foreigners, too. the fact that a very small proportion of women are trafficked—forced into prostitution against their will—has been used to discredit all foreigners in the trade, and by extension (since many sellers of sex are indeed foreign) all prostitutes.
abolitionists make three arguments. from the right comes the argument that the sex trade is plain wrong, and that, by condoning it, society demeans itself. liberals (such as this newspaper) who believe that what consenting adults do in private is their own business reject that line.
from the left comes the argument that all prostitutes are victims. its proponents cite studies that show high rates of sexual abuse and drug taking among employees. to which there are two answers. first, those studies are biased: they tend to be carried out by staff at drop-in centres and by the police, who tend to see the most troubled streetwalkers. taking their clients as representative of all prostitutes is like assessing the state of marriage by sampling shelters for battered women. second, the association between prostitution and drug addiction does not mean that one causes the other: drug addicts, like others, may go into prostitution just because it's a good way of making a decent living if you can't think too clearly.
a third, more plausible, argument focuses on the association between prostitution and all sorts of other nastinesses, such as drug addiction, organised crime, trafficking and **** sex. to encourage prostitution, goes the line, is to encourage those other undesirables; to crack down on prostitution is to discourage them.

brothels with brands
plausible, but wrong. criminalisation forces prostitution into the underworld. legalisation would bring it into the open, where abuses such as trafficking and under-age prostitution can be more easily tackled. brothels would develop reputations worth protecting. access to health care would improve—an urgent need, given that so many prostitutes come from diseased parts of the world. abuses such as child or forced prostitution should be treated as the crimes they are, and not discussed as though they were simply extreme forms of the sex trade, which is how opponents of prostitution and, recently, the governments of britain and america have described them.
puritans argue that where laws have been liberalised—in, for instance, the netherlands, germany and australia—the new regimes have not lived up to claims that they would wipe out pimping and sever the links between prostitution and organised crime. certainly, those links persist; but that's because, thanks to concessions to the opponents of liberalisation, the changes did not go far enough. prostitutes were made to register, which many understandably didn't want to do. not surprisingly, illicit brothels continued to thrive.
if those quasi-liberal experiments have not lived up to their proponents' expectations, they have also failed to fulfil their detractors' greatest fears. they do not seem to have led to outbreaks of disease or under-age sex, nor to a proliferation of street prostitution, nor to a wider collapse in local morals.
which brings us back to that discreet transaction between two people in private. if there's no evidence that it harms others, then the state should let them get on with it. people should be allowed to buy and sell whatever they like, including their own bodies. prostitution may be a grubby business, but it's not the government's.

[My Alias]

http://sfweekly.com/issues/2004-09-0...dex.html<br />. This story is long, but it's an interesting history of sex work in modern San Francisco strip clubs.

[Webcams]

i have heard from more then one sw about having been forced to perform services on cops, then when done told to leave the city or go to jail.

isn't it funny how in la at least the cops always are busting the hot s/w's and never mess with the ugly ones?

i would love to see the us justice department do a sting on the cops just once to see these [CodeWord126] put away.

compton is famous for feeling up the girls and more then threatening them.