Janet Robinson
Return to Community Leader Interviews
This method cost 2%.
“Our neighborhood group complains to the area police commander at nearly every meeting. We are always told, ‘If you see something, call us and we’ll take care of it. ’ We feel there is little we can do if the police are so ineffective at dealing with the problem. Heck, we’re willing to overlook the problem of prostitution if something could be done about the drug sales and strangers in our neighborhood, but we’d rather see an end to both problems. I’ve heard they’re trying to get a program going at one of the churches in town. I’d be willing to help if I thought something like that could work.”
Response Revealed
Harass and intimidate prostitutes.
Show/Hide DetailsWhen police have been placed under intense pressure to control street prostitution, yet have lacked adequate legal alternatives for doing so, some have turned to harassing and intimidating prostitutes, in some instances forcing them to relocate to another jurisdiction. There is no evidence that this is at all effective, and it undermines police integrity.
Response Revealed
Legalize and decriminalize prostitution.
Show/Hide DetailsThe two most radical responses to street prostitution are legalization and decriminalization. Whatever their merits and drawbacks, neither approach is likely to be politically feasible in the foreseeable future in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
Response Revealed
Ignore the complaint.
Show/Hide DetailsNot all complaints that are reported justify an official action.
Response Revealed
Conduct sweeps.
Show/Hide DetailsSweeps are large-scale arrest campaigns targeting suspected prostitutes without the intent to prosecute. Sweeps have long been a police strategy to control street prostitution, particularly when they have had few legal alternatives for dealing with the problem, yet have been pressured to do something about it. There is little evidence that sweeps are anything other than temporarily effective at removing prostitutes from the street, and they do considerable harm to the integrity of the criminal justice system. It is not uncommon for police to arrest innocent people during sweeps.
