Legalized Prostitution

Although legally women are equal under the law, in the real world we still face issues that do not always apply to men. The sex industry here in the United States is a huge and growing industry as our country becomes hyper-sexualized and more accepting of sexuality. Prostitution, and whether or not it should be legalized and monitored, is one of the many controversial issues regarding women that our country faces. The United States may never agree upon whether or not prostitution should be accepted and legalized, but nevertheless women in the industry (both in legalized institutions and on the street) face difficult circumstances. After much research, it is clear that act of prostitution regarding women is one specific crime that should not be illegal, but rather, prostitution should be legalized and regulated to better protect and benefit all of those involved.

Prostitution is a “crime” that has been around for centuries, and it was not always illegal here in the United States. In fact, the state of Nevada, as well as many other “first-world” countries, have legalized prostitution and it is not uncommon to see it as part of everyday life in places like Europe; specifically areas within the Netherlands. Prostitution is considered to be a victimless, or mala prohibita, crime in which a crime is illegal simply because it is prohibited. Other examples may include gambling, underage drinking and drug use. (Arrigo and Williams, 2012: 66). Mala in se is a crime that is wrong because it is wrong in and of itself- these include crimes like rape and murder. (Arrigo and Williams, 2012: 66). It is obvious that prostitution relates to women’s issues because sex work is one of the most practiced crimes women are involved in and jailed for; whether they were forced to be in the sex work industry or not. Many authors and researchers have cited sex work as an example of sex discrimination in criminal law and criminal processing because female sex workers are mainly the ones...