Men who buy sex could face prosecution

[Up2Late]

Source: The Guardian

Men who buy sex could face prosecution

Tania Branigan, political correspondent
Monday September 10, 2007
The Guardian

Ministers are considering proposals to prosecute men for buying sex in a new effort to curb the demand for prostitution, the Guardian has learned.

Senior members of the government are discussing whether to criminalise the purchase, rather than sale, of sex - as Sweden did eight years ago - in part because of the growth in sex trafficking. According to the government, 85% of women in brothels come from outside the UK.

Men have been convicted for trafficking women into Britain, but none has been prosecuted for paying for sex with women or girls forced into the sex trade.

One minister acknowledged the move would be "quite a dramatic step", but added: "There's no doubt whatsoever it's being talked about. There is increasing awareness among senior ministers, particularly women, that demand for prostitution is an area which needs to be tackled seriously and hasn't been."

Read more: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2165900,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

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Man, do I ever feel dumb, I just assumed that buying sex from a Prostitute was just as much of a crime for the man as it is for the Prostitute selling herself/himself, but apparently not in England.

Are the laws in the U.S. mostly the same as the British Law (that it's not a crime for the John, but it is for the Prostitute)?

[Systematic Chaos]

1. Nope, it's usually the BIGGER crime for the John.

And some communities put your mug shot up on a website, or even in public, for it.

The Sacred Feminine is alive and well in our sexually repressed and utterly dysfunctional Amurikkkan utopia. :sarcasm:

[Skittles]

3. this article refers to sex-trafficking

meaning these f***ing bastards are paying to screw women and GIRLS who are FORCED to be SEMEN RECEPTACLES.

[regnaD kciN]

7. Not really...

...it mentions sex-trafficking in passing, but this proposed law refers to all kinds of prostitution, including those entered into voluntarily.

[Skittles]

21. poor guys

to be harrassed as much as the women they buy

[MADem]

2. It's that old Jezebel myth. See, those 'poor fellers' would not be tempted were it not for the

evil, wily female leading them astray~~~

[Warren Stupidity]

10. So law enforcement should go after drug users?

Not that I think drugs should be illegal either, but the strategy of going after the provider of a service is rather common.

[MADem]

11. Well, they DO.

Look at the jails--they're chock full of users. You see them going after users every week on COPS.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. No actually the jails are generally full of people convicted

of trafficing charges, not simple possession. COPS is not a good reference source.

[MADem]

20. Here's a better source, then. Your info might hold true for federal pens, but not other facilities

There are four million users in local jails, .6 million users AND traffickers in state and federal pens. Traffickers can afford good lawyers--users cannot.

Drug Users are Often in Prison or Jail

With several notable exceptions (tobacco and alcohol use by adults), the use of addictive drugs is illegal. Users can be arrested and imprisoned. Many states have laws that are intended to prevent people from using drugs: • 47 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands have drug paraphernalia laws. These laws establish criminal penalties for the manufacture, sale, distribution, possession, or advertisement of any item used to produce and consume illegal drugs. • 8 states and 1 territory have syringe prescrip­tion laws. These laws prohibit dispensing or possessing syringes without a valid medical prescription. Drug users also get into trouble with the law when they commit other types of crimes to get drugs or money to buy drugs or if they are under the influence when they commit a crime. In 1997: • 33 percent of state and 22 percent of federal prisoners were under the influence of drugs when they committed the crime for which they were incarcerated; 16 percent committed the crime to get money for drugs; • 57 percent of state inmates and 45 percent of federal inmates used drugs in the month before their arrest; • among jail inmates who had pleaded guilty or had been convicted, 36 percent were under the influence when they committed their crime and 16 percent committed the crime to get money for drugs; 70 percent of jail inmates had used drugs regularly in the past or had violated a drug law.

Drug Users Serve Their Time in Various Correctional Settings

Drug users who have been arrested, tried, and convicted serve their sentences in various settings. The judge or jury chooses a setting based on the nature of the crime and the length of the sentence imposed. They also consider other factors, such as the age and gender of the individual and any prior convictions: • Jails are administered by a county or city. Individuals convicted of misdemeanors, such as possessing small amounts of drugs, serve their time in jails. Jails also house people awaiting hearings, trial, or transfer to prison. Sentences are usually less than 1 year. • State prisons house people convicted of felonies under state law, such as selling illegal drugs or committing a violent crime to support an addiction. State prison sentences are 1 year or longer. Most drug users serve their time in jail or state prison. • Federal prisons house people convicted of violating federal laws, such as interstate drug trafficking. These prison sentences are at least 1 year. The criminal justice system also uses other approaches. Some are alternatives to prison or jail; others are used in conjunction. ....
How Many are Under Correctional Control?
Local jails Federal/state correctional facilities Community supervision

4+ million 0.6 million 1.3 million
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.cdc.gov/IDU/facts/cj-structure.pdf

[reggie the dog]

4. Instead

Instead of making more people into criminals, why don't they legalize prostitution like it is across the channel in the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain.
It seems to me that it would be easier to work agaisnt human trafficking in a context where prostiution was legal and regulated and in which prostitutes would no longer have pimps for "protection", they would be able to call the police if there were problems.

[benh57]

5. Amen

Well said.

http://www.liberator.net/articles/prostitution.html

[stlsaxman]

9. yes reggie- well said

...and welcome to DU both you and ben!

:hi: :hi:

[regnaD kciN]

6. Too sensible...

...after all, if everyone was allowed simple access to sex without having to shell out for a lifetime commitment, society would be ruined, ruined, I tell you!!! :sarcasm:

[Stuckinthebush]

15. Bingo

Once you legalize it then you have a hand in enforcement and health issues.

It will never go away - the desire for sex is a natural human instinct.

[Warren Stupidity]

8. Why is this illegal at all?

Can the none of your business morality police go find something else to do?

[rambler_american]

14. If sex is outlawed

only outlaws will have sex.

And they can take away my weapon when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.

[Crayson]

16. So...

..I understand you have a HUGE weapon then.
^_^

Anyway, you're absolutely right.

[MannyGoldstein]

17. Agreed - Make It Legal, And Regulate It As In Amsterdam

As we've seen time and time again, ignoring human desires only causes trouble.

[LisaL]

13. No, it is not the same in US.

[Up2Late]

18. kick n/t

:kick:

[T_i_B]

19. Good

There's too much emphasis on punishing the whores themselves, where in fact the real villains of the trade are almost always the men in the story, be they the pimps or the kerb crawlers. All too often it's the women who are the victims. A good example of this came last year when we had a serial killer bumping off prozzies in Ipswich.

Bottom line is that it's the men in the prostitution business who the law needs to target more then the women. What the women themselves need more often then not is help.

[Up2Late]

22. So, has one party or another been blocking this seemingly common sense change...

...to the current Law for a while?:shrug: