Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The House Judiciary Committee Tuesday will consider a new bill that would make indoor prostitution a crime, but would empower judges to erase any record of charges for convicted prostitutes after one year.

The bill would treat prostitution differently from other non-violent misdemeanor crimes, which can be "expunged" only for first offenders -- and then, only five years after the sentence is completed. Prostitutes with multiple convictions, by contrast, would still be eligible to have the charges erased, according to a copy of the bill provided to The Journal

The bill has been described as a compromise between House and Senate leaders, who tried and failed earlier this year to reach agreement on legislation to close a nearly 30-year-old loophole in the state's prostitution law.

Rhode Island is the only place in the nation, other than certain counties in Nevada, where prostitution is legal if it occurs indoors.

The compromise bill treats prostitutes who work in brothels or out of their homes the same as prostitutes who ply their trade on the streets: both would face criminal misdemeanor fines or imprisonment, or both. First offenders would face fines of $250 to $1,000, and up to six months in prison, or both; multiple offenders face up to a year in prison.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Room 35 of the State House. A Senate hearing and possible votes in both chambers could come Wednesday and Thursday, the days legislators have set aside for a special session to take up legislation left unfinished when the Assembly recessed in June.

 Tags  General Assembly prostitution providence ri Rhode Island

Comments

Tricia said:

LEAVE IT INSIDE the buildings, it is safer for the girls and for the men.... If you take this away, the streets will become a heaven for men who love to beat up hookers and rob them. Please vote NO on making this in house a crime..

Link | October 26, 2009 9:29 PM
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Dan said:

Leave it inside and leave it alone. It works just fine the way it is and keeps violence off the street. Why don't the legislators look at real crime like driving under the influece or aggresive driving as well as street and gang violence. Prostitutes are an easy mark.

Most of the indoor workers are clean and use condems and turn away potential customers that look like trouble. In reality they provide a service for safe sex with no repercussions to the john. I bet they actually help prevent abuse to wifes at home making that marrage better as well as helping to better deal with stress

I know some of these people and canot survive in another occupation. Most are single parents or the bread winners for family members here.

Sure go ahead put them on the welfare rolls and help to raise the taxes for an already failing economy. Why not tax it and regulate it.

Link | October 26, 2009 10:43 PM
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Come down hard on pimps said:

It seems fair enough to give prostitutes another chance by expunging their records, but not the whoremasters or the johns.

I would hope that this bill comes down especially hard on the pimps, without whom most prostitution would not exist.

Link | October 27, 2009 9:26 AM
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