Decriminalize prostitution in Washington D.C?

[oldskiis]

       There are many valid points of view in this thread, in the long term, decriminalization with a minimum of regulation is by far the best.  Strict enforcement of existing laws is by far the worst option, resulting in violence and victimization on several levels.  LPIN fits somewhere in between but I would far rather see a state or city look at decriminalization with health checks  and age requirements than look at an LPIN model.

[georoc01]

So basically you would legalize prostitution and solicitation, but use zoning laws to define where it would be legal and keeping pimping illegal.

Of course, what the hoteliers would charge for women to work in the brothels would be the issue. Whether they charge a flat rate or allow for a percentage.

This is more like the TJ model.

[oldskiis]

     True decriminalization eliminates the need for a pimp, and why should a hotel have any rules about what form of legal sex takes place in a room they rent to either the client or the sex worker, a room is just a room.  When you go on an outdate in LPIN you do not expect the hotel to ask whether the lady is getting paid or not.   What the public does have a legitimate interest in it the health aspects and the age requirements . 

[Rolex79]

''no one will be any the wiser'' for me i saw all these shenanigans coming a mile away, not now but in years past best solution for me was by outcall/independent A lux courtesan would be straight at my door after appoint set up and cashing her out not in on top of that! regardless of time spent together. it was high end quality to say the least. The laws are what you make of it.

[Rolex79]

''no one will be any the wiser'' for me i saw all these shenanigans coming a mile away, not now but in years past best solution for me was by outcall/independent A lux courtesan would be straight at my door after appoint set up and cashing her out not in on top of that! regardless of time spent together. it was high end quality to say the least. The laws are what you make of it.

p.-s. At selective clientele of her choice by the way.

[SIDEWINDER]

     True decriminalization eliminates the need for a pimp, and why should a hotel have any rules about what form of legal sex takes place in a room they rent to either the client or the sex worker, a room is just a room.  When you go on an outdate in LPIN you do not expect the hotel to ask whether the lady is getting paid or not.   What the public does have a legitimate interest in it the health aspects and the age requirements .

Well, no it doesn't. It's been well documented that many women working at the ranches have-had pimps and we're not talking about the brothel owners either. I just see decriminalizing prostitution is giving independents a free pass to set up shop where ever they want. I'll guarantee, you would have pimps and prostitutes coming from far away to work in an area without fear of being arrested.

BTW: The Nevada system has never helped cut down on illegal prostitution either.  With the prices charged, they might actually be a contributing factor to illegal prostitution.

[oldskiis]

      Sidewinder, I did not say there would not be pimps, I just said it eliminates the need for pimps.  Sure, most of LPIN had pimps, especially in the old days, but when a woman got on the bus after her tour of duty, she had money in hand and did not have to go back to her pimp, that was her choice, a choice that LPIN gave to her. 
      In a lot of situations, it is hard to differentiate between a  pimp and just an abusive relationship, and how many women keep going back to abusive relationships.  Like all things dealing with morality, you are not going to solve pimp issues with laws. 
      And again, the more repressive law enforcement is, the more repressive the pimps will be and the less freedom of any kind the women have. 

[Catrina Costa]

BTW:  My model has always been women being able to work on their own without a pimp taking half their money right off the bat. For those who have not been around that long or do not read my post, my idea would be to have Hotels/motels set up where women could run their own business. They would still have to be licensed and would still have to have medical checkups. Brothel owners would no longer have their hands on the women's money earned. The brothel motel/hotel owners would make their money from renting the rooms to the women. The hotel/motel owner would be responsible for checking the women's license before renting the room and security at the hotel/motel.  The license issued to the woman would allow her to work at any brothel hotel/motel in the county without the need to get a new license. Their would be several of these motels available within the red light  zone so you wouldn't have owners gouging the women. The owners would be competing to rent the rooms.  Also, a hotel/motel owner would not be allowed to own more then one hotel/motel to avoid  the monopoly.   Brothel motel/hotel owners could also have bars for extra income and even restaurants along with gambling in separate  parts of the hotel/motel.

Similar to the system in England in some ways. Basically my understanding there (someone feel free to correct me if I'm off) is prostitution is legal, but running a brothel and pimping are not. I know that what happens is similar to your plan, people open "hotels" where the girls rent a room and that are really de facto brothels in a lot of ways, just with the girls being independent. I wonder though, how you keep them from charging rates for the rooms that would basically be the same split you with formal brothels?

[Catrina Costa]

        I am with letting the Ladies of Joy line up right outside the church, give some of those old hypocrites a clear choice.  But again, why do we automatically defer to churches and schools as bastions of morality, supposedly the correct morality.  What about the ladies choices or the choices of her clients and it does not mean we oppose church's and schools, they do have a place in society too but their place is not automatically superior to that of a sex worker.

Very true! I've always objected to zoning laws that keep certain businesses x number of feet from a church. Why can't a liquor store be next door to church?

[Rolex79]

BTW:  My model has always been women being able to work on their own without a pimp taking half their money right off the bat. For those who have not been around that long or do not read my post, my idea would be to have Hotels/motels set up where women could run their own business. They would still have to be licensed and would still have to have medical checkups. Brothel owners would no longer have their hands on the women's money earned. The brothel motel/hotel owners would make their money from renting the rooms to the women. The hotel/motel owner would be responsible for checking the women's license before renting the room and security at the hotel/motel.  The license issued to the woman would allow her to work at any brothel hotel/motel in the county without the need to get a new license. Their would be several of these motels available within the red light  zone so you wouldn't have owners gouging the women. The owners would be competing to rent the rooms.  Also, a hotel/motel owner would not be allowed to own more then one hotel/motel to avoid  the monopoly.   Brothel motel/hotel owners could also have bars for extra income and even restaurants along with gambling in separate  parts of the hotel/motel.

where i live motels/hotels are not defacto brothels they are owned by regular business men LE or inspectors never go near them. the place is run normally outcall as well as incall girls go there. the main difference is that if the girl is renting the room she pays for the room and charges an extra fee on her rate for the guy which is usually just 20$ more.

Similar to the system in England in some ways. Basically my understanding there (someone feel free to correct me if I'm off) is prostitution is legal, but running a brothel and pimping are not. I know that what happens is similar to your plan, people open "hotels" where the girls rent a room and that are really de facto brothels in a lot of ways, just with the girls being independent. I wonder though, how you keep them from charging rates for the rooms that would basically be the same split you with formal brothels?

[Rolex79]

they are either traditional upscale hotels in downtown are or regular motels in suburban area or elsewhere even with the law in effect in my city prostitution is decriminalized for ladies but for the men it is illegal. solicitation or paying for sex. the upscale ladies working as indépendants who are well schooled, smart, intelligent and in control of themselves are not at risk.

[Rolex79]

Do people honestly believe that an upscale business men dressed in brioni suits and wearing audemars piguet watches staying in at the ritz carlton and ordering escorts from his 1000$ a night penthouse room would ever get caught? maybe in exceptionnel cases if he is a celebrity or politician and months later the lady brings it out to the media to milk his cow even more not for any other reasons!

[Rolex79]

     True decriminalization eliminates the need for a pimp, and why should a hotel have any rules about what form of legal sex takes place in a room they rent to either the client or the sex worker, a room is just a room.  When you go on an outdate in LPIN you do not expect the hotel to ask whether the lady is getting paid or not.   What the public does have a legitimate interest in it the health aspects and the age requirements .

exactly!! i'm with you one this one.

[SIDEWINDER]

      Sidewinder, I did not say there would not be pimps, I just said it eliminates the need for pimps.  Sure, most of LPIN had pimps, especially in the old days, but when a woman got on the bus after her tour of duty, she had money in hand and did not have to go back to her pimp, that was her choice, a choice that LPIN gave to her. 
      In a lot of situations, it is hard to differentiate between a  pimp and just an abusive relationship, and how many women keep going back to abusive relationships.  Like all things dealing with morality, you are not going to solve pimp issues with laws. 
      And again, the more repressive law enforcement is, the more repressive the pimps will be and the less freedom of any kind the women have.

And you think there will be less pimps by decriminalizing prostitution?  I'm sorry, I happen to think the pimps will just move their women to wherever prostitution has been decriminalized.  They can keep their women working without fear of being arrested. They will not have down time from being arrested and pimps won't have  to bail them out of jail to put them back out on the street and with prostitution being decriminalized, Police will not put near the effort into trying to stop prostitution.
Legalize and control it, YES!  Decriminalize it, NO!!

[Rolex79]

By legalizing it and controlling it Do you  seriously think that in large metropolitan cities, organized crime all the way from the mob to bikers who in my city still have a strong presences i won't go into all the details about the police and judicial system slowly reeling them out years ago now that the ''old timers'' are gone the new wave's main goal are keeping a low profile learning from past mistakes so even by legalizing it, it won't prevent them of operating and controlling certain territories obtaining licences and operating in ''disguise'' as legitimate business man the whole structure of organized crime is modernizing and even if eventually if  they are pinned it's gonna take years and years for justice system to throw them in jail. The cycle wheel will i thing never cease. they are more organized than ever.