Prostitution in Rhode Island was banned in 2009. On November 3, 2009, Republican Governor Donald Carcieri signed a bill bill that made the purchase and sale of criminal sexual services.
Prostitution was legal in Rhode Island between 1980 and 2009 because there was no specific law to determine the action and prohibited it, although related activities were illegal, such as street invitations, running brothels, and pimps. With the passage of new laws, Nevada is the only US state that allows legal prostitution.
Video Prostitution in Rhode Island
Status hukum
Exchanging sex with money is illegal, both for prostitutes and customers, and is classified as a minor crime.
The law makes the sale of sexual services crimes crime punishable by a fine of $ 250 to $ 1,000, or up to six months in prison, or both for the first offender. This law includes provisions that empower judges to remove records on alleged prostitutes sentenced after one year. The double violator faces a fine of $ 500 to $ 1,000, or up to a year in prison, or both.
Customers face a fine of $ 250 to $ 1,000, or up to a year in jail, or both, for the first offender, and a $ 500 to $ 1,000 fine, or up to a year in prison, or both, for some offenders. The law does not offer a provision allowing judges to delete customer records. This crime is also classified as a minor crime.
Landlords who consciously benefit from prostitution on their property also face a fine of $ 2,000 to $ 5,000, and one to five years in prison for the first offense. The double offenders face a fine of $ 5,000 to $ 10,000, and 3 to 10 years in prison.
Maps Prostitution in Rhode Island
History
Prostitution was decriminalized in Rhode Island in 1980, when prostitution laws were changed, reducing prostitution from crimes to minor crimes. The drafters of the law abolish the part intended for the act of prostitution itself, and only road applications that remain illegal. Prostitution remained legal in the state until November 2009, when it was banned again.
It has been argued that lawmakers who changed the prostitution law in Rhode Island in 1980 have decriminalized indoor prostitution by mistake, without realizing that the new law creates a "loophole." Rhode Island State Senator John F. McBurney III was the only member of the General Assembly at the time of the 2009 vote which took office in 1980. He declared in 2009, "We may choose 500 bills a year (...) They do not know what which they chose. "John C. Revens Jr. is a former Senate Majority leader and a lawyer who has served in the General Assembly for nearly four decades. He agreed, "They would never sponsor a prostitution declamation law if they knew what it was.Not possible, not in a million years."
- 1976: COYOTE is a union for prostitutes led by Margo St. James. They filed suit against Rhode Island. This argument is based on how much power the state must have to control the sexual activity of its citizens in the case of COYOTE v. Roberts. The lawsuit also accuses discrimination about how the law is applied. The data were filed that showed selective prosecution, because Providence Police arrested women prostitutes much more often than male patrons. Ralph J. Gonnella is Margo St. Lawyer. James. He argues that the law of prostitution is so vast that it does not mention money. It could make the sexual relationship between an unmarried adult a crime punishable by a $ 10 fine, and the person who initiates the sex offer can be sued by asking and facing up to five years in prison.
- 1980: Rhode Island General Assembly changes the law on prostitution, removes laws prohibiting prostitution itself, but continues to ban street calls. With changes in criminal law, the lawsuit was fired filed by COYOTE.
- 1998: Stipulate Supreme Court rules in Country v. DeMagistris that the law opposes the demand for prostitution "especially to prohibit prostitutes from selling their merchandise in public", and it can not be applied to a person convicted for a personally performed activity. 2003: The alleged prostitution of four women arrested in two Providence bathrooms was dismissed after attorney Michael J. Kiselica cited the 1998 Supreme Court ruling, successfully declaring that Rhode Island has no law against indoor prostitution.
- 2005: The bill to make illegal prostitution, wherever it happens, dies in the General Assembly; Similar bills failed in subsequent years.
- 2009: Prostitution is prohibited. On November 3, Governor Donald Carcieri signed a bill bill that made it a crime to exchange sex with money.
An article by Scott Cunningham and Manisha Shah published in the Economic Studies Review found that the decriminalization of house prostitution law in 2003 resulted in a 30% reduction in reported female rape violations and 40% reduction in gonorrhea women. incident for six years that prostitution is not a violation of the law.
Legislative session 2009
Legislative battles
In early 2009, two bills were introduced at the General Assembly of Rhode Island that defined the crime of prostitution to enter any location (one bill, H5044, originating from the House of Representatives, and the other, S596, in the Senate).
The most prominent supporter of criminalization is the Representative Joanne Giannini (D). He introduced Bill H5044 to House on January 8, 2009 (sponsored by Reps. Coderre, Melo, Gemma, and Fellela), and was referred to the Committee which considered it on April 4, and replaced the text (Sub A) on 30 April. The House voted on this with an amendment on May 13, and the bill was passed into the Senate Committee on 28 May where it remained until the Assembly was hidden for the summer.
In the Senate, a similar bill was introduced by Senator Jabour on February 25 (sponsored by Senators O'Neill, Lynch, Cote, and Picard). The Justice Committee held a hearing on 25 June. Senate hearings attracted much media attention. Asian spa workers, recruited by Tara Hurley, testified against the bill. After the testimony of sex workers, a number of other groups spoke out against the bill. The Committee recommends the Sub A version with a vote of 8: 4, selected in the Senate the following day and referred to the Parliament. Both bills are accompanied by other trade legislation, H5661 (Giannini) and S605 (Senator Rhoda Perry).
Because of the House and the resident Senate, two separate versions of the prostitution bill remain. Both rooms must approve the same bill in order to be sent to the Governor, so he signs it into law. Both laws differ in the procurement of punishment. The Senate version of the bill calls for hasty punishment for first, second, and third offenses. Prostitutes, their customers, and property owners found guilty of first offenses will be punished by civil violations and a $ 100 fine. The House's version of the bill calls for no penalties for landlords but contains stiff penalties for prostitutes and first-time offenders. Anyone found guilty of prostitution faces up to 6 months in prison and a fine of up to $ 1,000. Penalties for subsequent offenses up to one year in prison and fines of up to $ 1,000.
After reviewing both versions of the prostitution bill, State Police, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, and Governor Donald Carcieri called for the House version of the bill to be issued, with harsher penalties for first-time perpetrators. Supt. Colonel Brendan P. Doherty of Rhode Island State Police testified that the police, "can not support civil sanctions for such disgraceful acts."
Media monitoring
Two front page articles are published in the Providence Journal before the General Assembly returns for a special session, and Happy Endings? released to the general public - a documentary at an Asian massage parlor in Rhode Island.
- On September 18, 2009, the Providence Journal reported that the Bonded Fraternal Police representing the Rhode Island State Police, and the Providence, Barrington, Warwick, and Cranston police have requested donations from the spa. Many city spas have stickers adorning doors and windows, along with a logo stating that the spa accepts all major credit cards. The donation from the spa is also paid for advertising on "The Rhode Island Trooper", the official publication of the Rhode Island Population Police Association, a state police membership organization "dedicated to improving the law enforcement profession...."
- On Oct. 25, the Journal reported that more than 30 women representing the spa in Rhode Island gathered at the Providence Community Center to voice their concerns about pending legislation. Sunyo Williams works at Pawtucket's spa with three other women, and she says through an interpreter that no one is forced to work in that field, and that women are willing to answer one by one and testify that it is their own choice.. She said that every woman has a separate tax identification number and pay taxes, and that all her customers are from Massachusetts, and that the women make money and spend it in Rhode Island. Several other women also spoke or asked questions to MPs, or representatives of advocacy groups such as the Rhode Island Against Human Trafficking Coalition, who attended the 8:30 Sunday morning meeting.
Special legislative sessions
- House of Representatives: On October 28, the House passed a bill defining the crime of prostitution.
- RI Senate: On 29 October, the bill passed the Senate.
The bill was sent to Governor Donald Carcieri to be signed into law.
Signed bill into law
On November 3, 2009, at the State House ceremony, Governor Donald Carcieri signed a bill of laws prohibiting prostitution in Rhode Island.
In addition to sponsoring the law, the attendants at the ceremony include Rhode Island Atty. General Patrick C. Lynch and State Police Colonel Brendan P. Doherty.
State Police Colonel Doherty said the new law "sends a different message to each group (who) thinks they can use Rhode Island as a continuation of their illicit business".
Aftermath
On February 26, 2010, Providence police commissioned four women from two urban spas with allegations of prostitution. Three of the women were accused of prostitution, and one of the women was accused of allowing prostitution.
As of June 30, 2010, the first woman was allowed to have her prostitution record deleted under the new law. Attorney General Patrick Lynch plans to appeal.
On November 20, 2010, the Rhode Island state police, Providence police and special agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement closed a brothel operating in a first floor apartment in Providence and arrested two women.
A study published in 2017 in the Economic Review Studies found that after the decriminalization of Rhode Island prostitution in 2003, gonorrhea decreased by 40% in women, and that sexual violence fell by 30%.
Parties in the debate
The main support for the full prostitution ban came from Governor, Attorney General, police, Donna M. Hughes from the University of Rhode Island, and Citizens Against Trafficking (CAT). CAT was formed by Donna M. Hughes and Melanie Shapiro after leaving the Rhode Island Against Human Trafficking Coalition (RICAHT) when the group refused to support the version of the Giannini Representative Bill. Also giving testimony to support the law are Women Cares for America, Laura Lederer, and Margaret Brooks, an economics professor at Bridgewater State College.
In addition to the RI Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the opposition to the bill comes from women's rights groups, anti-trafficking groups, sex workers, and sex educators. These groups include Amos House, Brown University Against Human Trafficking Students, Live Action for Rights and Equality (DARE), Family Life Center, Rhode Island International Institute, American Civil Liberties Union, Rhode Island Coalition for Homeless, National Association of Rhode Island Workers Social and National Organization of Rhode Island for Women. Other groups that provide testimony include the Urban Justice Center. Individuals include female pastors from the Adult Penitentiary and Ann Jordan, Director of the Human Trafficking and Forced Labor Program at the Washington College of Law, who testified on the grounds that the bill would not help combat trafficking, but instead exacerbated the problem. During the summer recess, two Representatives, David Segal and Edith Ajello outlined their reasons against the bill. Similarly, Senators Jabour and McCaffrey expressed an argument for the Senate bill. The Senate bill is seen as too weak by supporters of the House bill because it does not have prison time.
Help and support for male sex workers
In the United States and elsewhere, there is little resources and little support available for male sex workers who work or live on the streets. Men and boys in this situation may face many problems. They may be at higher risk for health problems and harassment. Male street prostitutes may have problems like drug addiction. Offering support and health care to people who experience stigma can be difficult because of the reluctance to disclose information about their work to health care professionals, which can also make male prostitutes difficult to identify to reach.
In recent years several organizations specifically targeted to assist male sex workers have been established and several studies have begun in this little-studied population. For example, Richard Holcomb, a former sex worker, founded the 'Weber Project', a harm reduction program in Providence, Rhode Island that offers resources and support to male sex workers living on the streets, including needle exchange and HIV testing. Holcomb cites the lack of available data on male commercial sex workers in the region as an excuse to help develop a 2010 survey to assess the needs of this population. The Weber project recruited and surveyed 50 male sex workers living on the streets of Providence. Holcomb cites the fact that he and his team members are former sex workers themselves as one of the main reasons why they can gain access to men to conduct this survey. The project says they have collected valuable data about male sex workers who work and live on the streets of Providence. Holcomb has also made several documentary films intended to draw attention to the subject of prostitution and street drug use.
See also
- Happy Endings? , a documentary about Asian brothels in Rhode Island during a battle in the state legislature to make illegal prostitution.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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