AlterNet: Freedom Growing For Sex Workers Around the World... Not So Much In the U.S.
By
Jodie Gummow
AlterNet
April 29, 2014
Sex work is a particularly taboo topic in American society. The exchange of sexual services for money or goods remains illegal in all American states except Nevada, where brothels are licensed in some areas. In most U.S. jurisdictions, prostitution or solicitation is a punishable offense accounting for 62,760 arrests annually in 2010, according to recent Bureau of Justice statistics.Advocacy groups contend that the government invests some $11.4 million per year into police resources solely to round up sex workers, forcing many in the industry to work undercover to avoid prosecution.
