Prostitution as a Deviant Behavior free essay sample

Prostitution is a profession or crime seen throughout America but where did it all start and why? Looking at the history of prostitution will help to describe what prostitution is and what caused it throughout history and mainly in America. Also, understanding prostitution as deviant behavior will be come clearer through the discussion of socio-legal controls and their effectiveness. Prostitution and its causes What is prostitution? Kendall (2007) defined prostitution as, â€Å"the sale of sexual service for money or goods without emotional attachment. † The service of prostitution that Kendall defined comes in various types. ProCon. org (2008) listed different types of prostitution such as â€Å"street†, â€Å"brothel†, â€Å"escort†, â€Å"private†, â€Å"window†, â€Å"doorway†, â€Å"transport† and various other types of prostitution. These types can be seen throughout the history of what is debated as one of the oldest professions in history. According to ProCon. org (2013) prostitution was first recognized in 2400BC in Sumerian records. Also, ProCon. org (2013) noted that prostitution was connected with temple services and was among the list of entertainers for the temple. We will write a custom essay sample on Prostitution as a Deviant Behavior or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Around this time in history prostitution appeared to be accepted as the norm and continued throughout as the norm through the BC era. In the AD era prostitution began to shift into a deviant behavior instead of being a norm. Meriam-Webster. com (n. d. ) defined deviant as, â€Å"different from what is considered to be normal or morally correct. † Around 534 AD Justinian and Theodora started to address prostitution as an unacceptable behavior. ProCon. org (2013) noted, â€Å"They created laws that banished procuresses and brothel keepers from the capital, granted freedom to slaves forced into prostitution, and banned sex in public bathhouses. So, during this time Justinian and Theodora were not actually punishing the prostitutes but, those who subject them to prostitution. In the Late 500s, the punishment for prostitution became more drastic than what had been previously done by Justinian and Theodora. For example, ProCon. org stated, â€Å"Girls and women born of free parents convicted of either practicing prostitution, or inducing debauchery, were condemned for the first offense to be flogged (300 strokes) and to be ignominiously expelled from the town,† which was the punishment put in place by the king of Visigoths of Spain. This example shows how prostitution began to be more and more seen as deviant. Prostitution in history was first seen mainly in areas of the world other than North America. Prostitution started to be seen finally during the colonial America era. In the earlier years of America prostitution was not to out of the norm. According to ProCon. org (2013), â€Å"Prostitution was not an offense in either English or American common law, and, prior to World War I, although being a prostitute was not an offense, prostitution was generally regulated as a specific sort of vagrancy. † ProCon. org (2013) also noted that prostitutes during Colonial America under law could only be charged with â€Å"adultery†, â€Å"fornication†, or â€Å"common nightwalkers† if charged. During this time prostitution as a norm and its increase could be contributed to women whom were migrant women that were already prostitutes. Grant (2013) mentions how in 1721 that there were fewer than 700 men in the Louisiana colony and the French government sent 80 women to the colony to marry up with some of the men. Grant (2013) also states, â€Å"Many of the migrant women, however, had been serving time for prostitution charges in French prisons, and upon arriving in the colony found the sex trade provided them more independence than any arranged marriage to settlers. † Instances such as the migrant women being sent to the Louisiana colony and them becoming prostitutes instead of wives blossomed into an era of women being imported for prostitution. The importation of women for prostitution did not last. ProCon.  org (2013) noted, â€Å"US Congress passed the Page Act of 1875 that outlawed the importation of women into the United States for the purposes of prostitution. † The act was passed on March 3, 1875 and from then on prostitution began to be a little more regulated. ProCon. org (2013) stated, â€Å"In July 1865, after the Civil War, more regulations were made leading up to the red-light district of Storyville in 1897. † The red-light district of Storyville was locat ed in New Orleans and it was composed of many brothels. The red-light district of Storyville lasted up until 1971. According to ProCon. org (2013), â€Å"It ended legally in 1917 due to concerns over health risks to US soldiers,† this is in reference to the end of the red-light district of Storyville. Later into the 1900s and up until present day prostitution has become more labeled as deviant and reasons such at entertainment or independence as causes for prostitution are were not applicable as much for the era. Some causes for prostitution in current times are noted in an FBI article that discusses the Anaheim Police Department (APD). Marcin (2013) stated the following: â€Å"The majority of prostitutes interviewed by APD vice investigators believed that selling themselves was their only alternative for survival. Further, investigation showed that these women shared similar circumstances that led them to prostitution. Many came from dysfunctional homes, had few friends or family members who cared about them, and were drug addicts or alcoholics. Arrest and contact data indicated that most of these women were between 18 and 29 years old. Unfortunate situations and poor choices made them vulnerable. † These reasons differ immensely from the reasons of the past. Along with these reason mentioned, Marcin (2013) also stated, â€Å"Most of the women described their path into the sex trade as a boyfriend transforming into a pimp or a girlfriend becoming a prostitute. † This statement is depicting another way girls fall into prostitution, which is due to the person they are in a relationship with. No matter what type of prostitution or the cause of prostitution as long as prostitution is deviant it is mitigated in some way through socio-legal remedies. Socio-legal Remedies According to Kendall (2007), â€Å"The estimate of the number of prostitutes in the United States ranges from 100,000 to more than 500,000. † These numbers are fairly high and surely have most likely increased since the publication of this source. Since, prostitution is at a high and it is considered deviant there are a few ways that it is mediated. Some of the ways can be seen in Grant (2013) statement that states, â€Å"Sex workers’ rights are largely unprotected, and remain a political battleground; meanwhile, people who buy and sell sexual services are arrested, shamed, compelled into â€Å"rehabilitation† programs, and branded with criminal records. † The first remedy mentioned in the statement is arrest which is where vice officers enforce prostitution laws. Marcin (2013) addresses how officers find prostitutes to arrest, â€Å"The standard procedure was for undercover officers to pose as customers, obtain a solicitation, and arrest the prostitute. † This approach helps to control prostitution by taking mainly prostitutes off of the street. Another major remedy that was in Grant’s statement was â€Å"rehabilitation† programs. In Grant’s article Grant (2013) stated, â€Å"vice cops arrest suspected customers to fill seats in â€Å"johns’ schools,† where the men are lectured by employees of social reform projects that aim to abolish prostitution with â€Å"scared straight† tactics. † This form of rehabilitation is for the men but, there are programs that target the females. An example of a female rehabilitation program can be exhibited as apart of the Anaheim Police Department approach to dealing with prostitution. According to Marcin (2013) the APD had four aspects they wanted to address pertaining to prostitution which were (1) assist women in escaping prostitution; (2) help them realize their situations and the circumstances that got them there; (3) provide services to assist with redirecting their lives in a positive direction; and (4) seek cooperation in pursuing the pimp who trafficked them as prostitutes. The APD’s idea of controlling the deviant behavior of prostitution treated the female like a victim instead of labeling them. Marcin (2013) noted the ways that the ADP was going to help battle prostitution by removing the prostitutes, begin the transformation, rescue the victims, correct the life choice, collect the evidence, pursue the pimp, and prosecute the trafficker. The two ways that Grant (2013) mentioned in her article was shame and being branded with a criminal record. Both of these ways are forms of labeling and they make a person feel like an outcast of society till the point where they maybe want to reform to the social norms of society. Another remedy that is not mentioned and is debatable as a remedy is the legalization of prostitution. Palmer (2012) stated, â€Å"In the United States, prostitution is only legal in 8 counties in Nevada. † This is not many places but instead of abolishing prostitution counties in Nevada are embracing prostitution to control it. The defiant behavior of prostitution is controlled through varies remedies but, are the remedies effective? Effectiveness of the Socio-legal Remedies The first socio-legal remedy that was mentioned was arrest. The effectiveness of arrest can be questioned for various reasons. Friedrichs (2012) argued, â€Å"It is challenging to develop and adopt laws in relation to sex work that are realistic in terms of achieving objectives and do not unduly penalize vulnerable parties (e. g. , female sex workers) (Thrupkaew 2009),† (p. 322). Friedrich’s statement suggest that when laws are created to regulate prostitution usually those who are mostly punished are the prostitutes but they usually are prostitutes due to reasons of vulnerability. Also, arrest causes such issues as mentioned by Palmer (2012), â€Å"The sex worker cannot call the police as they fear their own arrest and incarceration. † This is problematic because violent crimes such as rape are committed against prostitutes but, the prostitutes are afraid to reach out for help because they do not want to be arrested. Another reason how arrest may seem not very effective is stated by Marcin (2013). Marcin (2013) stated, â€Å"These tactics resulted in misdemeanor filings and a temporary relocation of the activity. Prostitution soon returned. † So, basically even though prostitutes are arrested they basically get a slap on the wrist and they may change locations when out of jail. Eventually, the prostitutes return to prostituting and may even return to the same location. On the other had arrest can be seen as being effective because it does get some prostitutes off of the streets for a period of time and maybe even forever, Reasons such as these can make arrest effective or not depending on the point of view that it is looked at from. Another remedy that can be discussed for effectiveness is â€Å"Rehabilitation Programs†. Marcin (2013) reported the APD’s result after they changed their approach to rehabilitating prostitutes and arresting those who were â€Å"pimping† them. The following are the result Marcin (2013) recorded: â€Å"Between August 2011, when the project started, and April 30, 2012, the Anaheim vice detail arrested and charged 27 pimps. The courts convicted 16, and 11 await trial. Of the 29 human trafficking victims rescued. 1. 74 percent remain free from subsequent arrest; 2. 3 returned to prostitution; 3. 10 maintain contact with their victim advocates; 4. 2 returned to school; 5. 2 adult victims continue counseling; and 6.  2 continue cooperation with law enforcement and currently are preparing to testify against their traffickers. † In the results the prostitutes that are referred to as â€Å"human trafficking victims† seemed to produce great results in response to the rehabilitation efforts of the APD. This remedy shows to be effective so far in the APD cases of prostitution because 3 out of 29 prostitutes returning to prostitution is not a poor ratio at all. Marcin (2013) also goes on to further update these results by stating, â€Å"As of October 31, 2012, 38 pimps have been arrested and charged. Twenty were convicted and 18 are awaiting trial. The Anaheim vice detail has rescued 52 human trafficking victims; only 4 are known to returned to prostitution. † These updated results proven even more the effectiveness of rehabilitation efforts. The third major remedy that is seen to be used in Nevada is the legalization of prostitution through brothels. MacKell (2009) stated, â€Å"In both Salida, Colorado and Wallace, Idaho, an upswing in sex crimes immediately followed the closure of the prostitution houses in those places. † MacKell’s statement shows how legal prostitution houses were a way to regulate prostitution but, in turn it was a way to control other deviant behaviors. The final remedies which were shame and being branded with a criminal record are more of qualitative results that would be harder to determine their effectiveness as a whole. Concluding Analysis In conclusion prostitution is only deviant because a majority of society shuns it. Prostitution is not by far a victimless crime but, if two adults consent to have sex for money without there being any form of coercion they should be allowed to. Prostitution could have its benefits if legalized and regulated because in essence it is no different from pornography which is basically regulated prostitution. Some of the benefits that could come from legalizing prostitution throughout the United States are taxable businesses. According to Palmer (2012), â€Å"Prostitution is a multi-billion dollar industry that goes largely untaxed. † Along with the taxation of the businesses which creates more revenue for the United States, Brothels will provide more jobs and more jobs means a more the economy is stimulated. Also, Palmer (2012) stated, â€Å"The money that jurisdictions could save on scaled back vice squads would help some of the financially unstable cities and counties across the country. † Palmer’s statement shows another benefit and final benefit could be what was mentioned in the effectiveness of remedies section, prostitutes would be more protected from sexual violence towards them. There are many benefits that can be mentioned but Mackell’s (2009) sums the thought of legalizing prostitution all over America by saying, â€Å"The pros and cons of legalizing prostitution will remain a true enigma until America in general turns from fighting this lost cause to figuring out how to improve it for the safety and benefit of all. † The best way to maybe control prostitution if not through legalizing it would probably be through arresting those who pimp the prostitutes and rehabilitating the prostitutes. This approach seemed to work well for the Anaheim Police Department and yielded some great results. This approach would be great also because it attacks the initial issues of why the females ever even became prostitutes. Finally, I would view the deviant behavior, prostitution from a functionalist approach something society needs. Kendall (2007) states, â€Å"Some sociologists believe that prostitution will always exist because it serves important functions. It provides quick, impersonal sexual satisfaction, a sexual outlet for men without romantic ties, an opportunity to engage in unusual sex practices, it protects the family as a social institution, and benefit the economy by providing jobs for people who have limited formal education and job skills. † Kendall statement pretty much sums up my analysis on prostitution as a deviant behavior.