Prostitution in the United States

Prostitution in the United States is illegal, except in some rural counties of the state of Nevada. Prostitution, however, is present in most parts of the country, in various forms.

The regulation of prostitution in the United States of America is not among the enumerated powers of the federal government. Under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, it is therefore exclusively the domain of the states to permit, prohibit, or otherwise regulate commercial sex, except insofar as Congress may regulate it as part of interstate commerce with laws like the Mann Act. In most states, prostitution is considered a misdemeanor in the category of public order crime, a crime that disrupts the order of a community. It was at one time considered to be a vagrancy crime.

Currently, Nevada is the only state in the United States where prostitution is legal, specifically in regulated brothels. The rules for these brothels are outlined in the Nevada Revised Statutes. Active brothels are presently located in just eight counties.

Prostitution is illegal in Clark County, Nevada, which includes the Las Vegas–Paradise metropolitan area. It's also illegal in Washoe County, Nevada, where Reno is located, as well as in Carson City, Douglas County, and Lincoln County, Nevada.

Theoretically, brothel prostitution is permitted in the other counties. However, several of those counties don't currently have any operational brothels.

Street-level prostitution, along with "pandering" and profiting from a prostitute's earnings, is against the law in Nevada, just as it is in other states.

Similar to other countries, prostitution in the United States can be broadly divided into three main categories: street prostitution, brothel prostitution, and escort prostitution.

History

18th century

Some of the women in the American Revolution who followed the Continental Army served the soldiers and officers as sexual partners. Prostitutes were a worrisome presence to army leadership, particularly because of the possible spread of venereal diseases. Some, however, encouraged the presence of prostitutes to keep troop morale high. Template:Anchor

19th century

In the 19th century, parlor house brothels catered to upper class clientele, while bawdy houses catered to the lower class. At concert saloons, men could eat, listen to music, watch a fight, or pay women for sex. Over 200 brothels existed in lower Manhattan. Prostitution was illegal under the vagrancy laws, but was not well-enforced by police and city officials, who were bribed by brothel owners and madams. Attempts to regulate prostitution were struck down on grounds that it is against the public good. Seventy-five percent of New York men had some type of sexually transmitted disease.

The gold rush profits of the 1840s to 1900 attracted gambling, crime, saloons, and prostitution to the mining towns of the Wild West. Widespread media coverage of prostitution occurred in 1836, when famous courtesan Helen Jewett was murdered, allegedly by one of her customers. The Lorette ordinance of 1857 prohibited prostitution on the first floor of buildings in New Orleans. Nevertheless, prostitution continued to grow rapidly in the US, becoming a 6.3 million-dollar business in 1858, more than the shipping and brewing industries combined.

By the US Civil War, Pennsylvania Avenue had become a disreputable slum known as Murder Bay, home to an extensive criminal underclass and numerous brothels. So many prostitutes took up residence there to serve the needs of General Joseph Hooker's Army of the Potomac that the area became known as "Hooker's Division." Two blocks between Pennsylvania and Missouri Avenues became home to such expensive brothels that it was known as "Marble Alley."

In 1873, Anthony Comstock created the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. Comstock successfully influenced the United States Congress to pass the Comstock Law. In 1875, Congress passed the Page Act of 1875 that made it illegal to transport women into the nation to be used as prostitutes.

In 1881, the Bird Cage Theatre opened in Tombstone, Arizona. It included a brothel in the basement. Famous men such as Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Diamond Jim Brady, and George Hearst frequented the establishment.

In the late 19th century, newspapers reported that 65,000 white slaves existed. Around 1890, the term "red-light district" was first recorded in the United States. From 1890 to 1982, the Dumas Brothel in Montana was America's longest-running house of prostitution.

New Orleans city alderman Sidney Story wrote an ordinance in 1897 to regulate and limit prostitution to one small area of the city, Storyville. Storyville became the most famous area for prostitution in the nation.

20th century

Legal measures

In 1908, the Bureau of Investigation was founded. In 1935, the BOI became the FBI. The White-Slave Traffic Act (Mann Act) of 1910 prohibited interstate transport for immoral purposes.

In 1918, the Chamberlain-Kahn Act gave the government power to quarantine women suspected of STDs. During World War I, Storyville was shut down.

Mortensen vs. United States, in 1944, ruled that prostitutes could travel across state lines if not for prostitution.

In 1967, New York City eliminated license requirements for massage parlors. In 1970, Nevada began regulation of houses of prostitution. In 1971, The Mustang Ranch became Nevada's first licensed brothel.

Other developments

In 1917, New Orleans shut down prostitute cribs. An anti-prostitution drive in San Francisco attracted large crowds.

By World War II, prostitutes had increasingly gone underground.

In 1997, Heidi Fleiss was convicted. In 1990, Congressman Barney Frank admitted to paying for sex.

21st century

Ted Haggard resigned in 2006.

Randall L. Tobias resigned in 2007.

In 2007, Louisiana Senator David Vitter acknowledged past transgressions.

Eliot Spitzer resigned as governor of New York in 2008.

In 2009, Rhode Island outlawed prostitution.

Types of prostitution

Street prostitution

Street prostitution is illegal throughout the United States. Arrest statistics from the Chicago Police Department show heavy concentration in Chicago.

Escort/out-call prostitution

Escort prostitution exists throughout the United States. Agencies operate in cities such as Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Brothel prostitution

With the exception of rural counties of Nevada, brothels are illegal everywhere in the United States.

Legal status

Nevada is the only U.S. state to allow some legal prostitution. Prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City.

Prostitution in Rhode Island was outlawed in 2009.

Louisiana requires convicted prostitutes to register as sex offenders.

Statistics on prostitutes and customers

Studies were conducted in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In Newark, New Jersey, reports claim high HIV prevalence. In Atlanta, Georgia, rates are lower.

John Schools

Programs exist in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., West Palm Beach, Florida, Buffalo, New York, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn.

Category:Prostitution in the United States

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