Linda Loftin
Return to Service Provider Interviews
This method cost 2%.
“I see many of the area prostitutes as clients. Most of them come to me after they have been assaulted or frightened that they may go to jail if they don’t straighten up. Much of my caseload is court-appointed. Many of these women live in a violent home, some suffer from mental illness, and a lot of them suffer from drug addiction. It is especially troublesome when you consider how many of these women have children. The children are often exposed to illegal drugs, prostitution, and violence in their home. Drug-dependent prostitutes provide little care for their children; some leave unattended children at home while they work the streets. In many cases, older children in the home are forced to act as the caregiver for their younger siblings.”
“I wish more attention was paid to these children and to the girls when they first end up on the street, before they get sick or hardened. Most of the women I see feel trapped...they prostitute because they feel they have to, they have no other choice. We need to provide alternatives, especially early on.”
Response Revealed
Notify those with influence over clients’ conduct.
Show/Hide DetailsEmployers, schools, the military, convention organizers, and other individuals or groups often exert significant informal influence over prostitution clients' conduct. You can leverage this influence by seeking such third parties' cooperation to discipline clients who come to police attention. This strategy is not intended merely to shame clients, but rather to change their behavior through disciplinary systems outside the formal justice system. Keep in mind that some forms of discipline, such as employment termination, can be severe.
Response Revealed
Enforce laws prohibiting conduct associated with prostitution and solicitation.
Show/Hide DetailsMany jurisdictions have enacted laws that prohibit conduct associated with prostitution and the solicitation thereof, such as loitering for the purposes of prostitution, loitering in search of a prostitute, and curb-crawling. These laws are designed to allow the police to charge prostitutes and clients without having to prove there was a proposed or actual exchange of money for sex. Charges of loitering for the purposes of prostitution are difficult to prove in some jurisdictions, so even if arrest rates are high, prosecutions may not be.
